HORSE owners and owners of private land in Hutton Rudby have offered to pay the parish council £500 towards the cost of a new fence on land near the River Leven, where a family was allegedly chased by a horse during the summer.

The offer has been welcomed in general by the parish council, which was originally given an estimate of £1,000 for a new fence.

However, one councillor felt the council was being held to ransom by horse owners.

In addition to weighing up the financial costs of a new fence, the parish council has been trying to clarify its own legal responsibilities - and those of the horse and land owners - for some time.

The irregular-shaped piece of parish land adjoins private fields on Hutton Bank, below the Bay Horse pub. A right of way runs across the area and up through woodland to the village.

The wooden fence is elderly and has needed replacing for some time, the council believes. The alleged horse chase has further increased the need for a speedy outcome.

Speaking at the latest parish council meeting, chairman Coun John Richardson said the original estimate for a new fence had been reduced to £810. Furthermore, the offer from the horse and land owners meant that the council would now only have to contribute just over £300.