POLICE are calling on the public to help identify the owners of loose horses so action can be taken against them.

The Northern Echo reported yesterday that residents in St Helen Auckland, near Bishop Auckland, were woken by about 20 horses trampling over their front gardens. They had been spotted on a nearby park the previous night.

These were the latest in a long-running string of incidents in the town, which in 2017 saw officers deal with an average of more than two cases a day.

Bishop Auckland Inspector Andy Reeves said officers dealt with a number of reports of loose horses in the St Helen Auckland area overnight on Monday and that broken fencing was found and repaired.

He said community protection notices have been issued to horse owners ordering the antisocial behaviour – allowing horses to get loose – to stop or face further action.

He added: “We would encourage residents to assist the police and improve their community by coming forward and providing photographs, CCTV or dashcam footage of anyone seen tending to the horses or putting them back into fields so we can identify them and look to take further action accordingly.”