YARDS from a busy highway, the horrific sight of a young stallion's body lay in full view of early morning commuters.

It had died during the night, hanged by a chain after it slipped off the steep embankment where it was left to graze.

A few hundred yards away, on the same stretch of bypass in Bishop Auckland, County Durham, police were trying to stop seven loose horses from charging through traffic.

The town's long-standing horse problem is back with a vengeance, and there are fears it will only be a matter of time before someone is killed.

Last week, a six-year-old girl in Coundon Grange was dragged around a council playing field by a tethered horse.

Police, councils and animal welfare organisations all agree that the present laws are inadequate.

There is a growing call for a new licensing or tagging system to crack down on the horses' owners.

The Northern Echo has been reporting demands for new regulations for years and nothing has changed.

Durham County Council is on the point of bringing in a specialist security firm to clear horses from roadside verges.

At the same time, Bishop Auckland police are preparing a photographic database which they hope will help to convict guilty owners.

As the law stands, police must deal with horses if they stray on to a highway. They can prosecute owners, although in practice they rarely appear in court because they are usually impossible to track down.

Durham County Council can act if animals are grazing on roadside verges, while smaller authorities, such as district councils, are responsible if the horses are on their recreation grounds or open land.

The RSPCA hopes to prosecute the stallion's owner - a man from St Helen Auckland who later came forward.

Although they are opposed to tethering, the RSPCA is powerless to seize animals unless they are suffering.

It wants all tethered and grazing horses microchipped so that owners can be traced.

A spokesman said: "The RSPCA is very concerned about the number of incidents in the North-East involving tethered and straying horses.

"It is vital that horse owners take greater responsibility for their animals if we are to reduce animal suffering."

What do you think? Tell us your view by writing to: Hear All Sides, PO Box 14, Priestgate, Darlington, DL1 1NF