A NEGLECTED pony found crawling with thousands of maggots and barely able to stand has died.

Despite the best efforts of vets, the two-year-old pony found collapsed at a derelict County Durham farm building was unable to survive its "grotesque" injuries.

A member of the public alerted the British Horse Society to a derelict farm building near Rodridge Cottage Farm in Wingate, on Sunday, June 4 and found a pony with large wounds across its right hand side, riddled with thousands of maggots.

RSPCA Inspector Nick Jones said: “This is as bad as it gets. Hand on heart this is the worst equine case I’ve ever seen.

“The right hand side of the pony looked atrocious with a three-inch thick line of maggots running the length of the neck.

“There were so many you could hear them. It sounded like the popping of a fizzy drink".

He added: "It was grotesque. Even as an inspector who deals with neglect cases every day, this was devastating to see"

A vet shaved the pony’s mane to treat the wounds and the animal was taken to British Horse Society stables for recovery.

Insp Jones said: "Sadly he didn’t make it. He was too far gone and his wounds were too severe. It is heartbreaking.

“We have no idea how long he had been there or the cause of his wounds but it is very clear that the pony had been severely neglected by his owner".

Anyone with information is asked to call the RSPCA on 0300 123 8018.