LOOSE horses caused havoc for police officers in a County Durham town on Sunday.

Officers in Bishop Auckland were called to Greenfields Road, in Bishop Auckland, on three separate occasions.

The first call came just after midnight, with a member of the public reporting about 24 horses were on the road.

Officers attended and escorted the horses to a nearby field and after identiying gaps in the bushes surrounding it, taped them off.

They were then called at around 3am, with further reports that several horses had been seen on the same road.

Officers engaged with owners and managed to move the horses to a more secure field.

And at around 8.40am, the force received another report that around 30 horses had ran from Greenfields Road onto Linburn Drive but on attendance, the horses had been moved.

A Durham Constabulary spokesman said: “We are aware of the ongoing issue with loose horses in this area.

“Stray or tethered horses should be reported to Durham County Council who have powers under The Control of Horses Act 2015, to seize horses which are on its land without permission or are on land open to the public. We share the residents frustration at the problem and the local beat team are working with partner agencies to tackle the issue.”