A CAMPAIGN to tackle the problem of illegally grazing horses is being stepped up in Hartlepool following a change in the law.

Hartlepool Borough Council officials have launched a renewed 'zero tolerance' clampdown on so-called fly-grazing, using the recently-introduced Control of Horses Act 2015.

The authority has used the case of a poorly treated, abandoned horse, named Tango, to highlight the importance of dealing with the issue.

New laws enable landowners, including local councils, to act more quickly to seize horses than under previous legislation.

The council works with a number of organisations, including Cleveland Police, the RSPCA, the British Horse Society and the international charity World Horse Welfare to try to tackle the problem.

Cllr Marjorie James, Chair of Hartlepool Council’s Neighbourhood Services Committee, said the case of Tango, an undernourished and dehydrated palomino pony recovered from an industrial site off Brenda Road where there was very little grass and no water, illustrated the importance of the work.

She said: “The site where he was found is in a heavily industrialised area. It was littered with nails and other debris so it is a miracle that he was not badly injured. It is likely that Tango was dumped because he had become too old to work or to sell on. He had been basically left there to die."

Tango is currently being nursed back to health and it is hoped the council will be able to offer him for adoption as a companion pony when he is fully recovered.