A CAMPAIGN to ban low-flying helicopters and jets which have been blamed for spooking horses in North Yorkshire is gathering pace.

Linda Butler-Blades wants horse owners whose animals have been terrified by aircraft to form an action group and take on the Ministry of Defence.

Since the spooking of her horse was highlighted recently in the D&S Times, Mrs Butler-Blades, who lives at Grewelthorpe, near Ripon, has been told about other incidents across the county and beyond.

"It is no good acting individually against the MoD. We must do it together," said the campaigner.

A horse owner from the nearby village of Laverton has suffered similar problems and was among those who contacted Mrs Butler-Blades.

Mike Haken runs an equestrian supply business and is an equestrian artist.

He has Shire horses and, while driving one of them in the Grantley area, experienced a frightening situation when it was spooked by a Harrier jet which came from behind.

The horse, which was wearing blinkers, went into a 50-yard panic before Mr Haken could bring it under control again.

On another occasion, while in a field near his home, a Shire horse pulling a roller was again spooked by jet planes.

Mr Haken had to let go and allow the horse to run free for 200 frightening yards before it came to a halt.

Mr Haken points out that because Shires are blinkered, they have little warning of the aircraft.

"I fully support Linda's campaign and believe the only way to secure action is by what she is doing to bring people together," he said.

Mr Haken would like to see the MoD set up a hotline which horse owners could telephone for information about their low-flying routes. He believes it would not only cut down on accidents but drastically reduce the number of incidents where animals are spooked.

Mrs Butler-Blades, 56, has already written to her MP, David Curry, and a fellow campaigner at Catterick is taking up the issue with William Hague, MP for Richmond.

Mrs Butler-Blades acted after her 17-month-old filly, Goldi, was sent on a dash through fields at Grewelthorpe after being spooked by low-flying Chinook helicopters. Goldi ended up dashing through a barbed wire fence which caused her a series of wounds.

The latest campaign comes after the death eight years ago of 27-year-old Alexandra Nixon, of Littlethorpe, near Ripon, whose horse bolted after being spooked by low-flying helicopters, also at Grewelthorpe. Her death sparked a call for a Ministry of Defence review of low flying. But campaigners said they had been given a "wooden and negative" response.

Mrs Butler-Blades can be contacted on 01765 658027.

A spokesman for the MoD in London said it imed to limit low-flying to what was absolutely necessary for operational purposes. Helicopters usually operated at between 100ft and 250ft to avoid disturbance.