A PUBLIC meeting has been called to try to solve the problem of stray horses plaguing a village.

People in Hunwick have complained that animals roaming on a former railway line between Bishop Auckland and Willington have strayed on to their cricket field and kept them awake at night.

The village's county council representative, Councillor Brian Myers, said yesterday that people had stopped using the track because of fears for their safety.

He sent a letter to Durham Constabulary, Durham County Council and Wear Valley District Council calling for a public meeting in Hunwick Community Centre.

Both councils have employed horse catchers in recent months, but can only act if the horses are on their land.

Police in Bishop Auckland called for tighter legislation and stiffer court penalties after turning out 502 times in a year to deal with strays.

Two owners were each fined £100 after officers photographed horses on the roadside at the end of last year.

Last month a horse died and a woman driver escaped serious injury when her car crashed into a group of horses on the Toronto bypass, near another stretch of the same walkway

Coun Myers said: "The residents of Hunwick are sick to the eye teeth of stray horses. What exacerbates their annoyance is that each agency blames the other."

District council leader Councillor Olive Brown wants a national registration scheme.

She said: "It has got to come from the Government. We have tried everything else."

A police spokesman said: "It is a very difficult problem to resolve, not least because the power each agency has is limited. Bearing in mind the time and resources taken up dealing with this issue, we would of course be willing to consider any joint action."

A county council spokesman said that employing a horse catcher was having an impact.

He said: "Without appropriate legislation and the willingness of these horse owners to take greater responsibility and security of their animals, there can be no real and lasting solution. In the meantime, we have asked our specialist contractor to step up their checks of the area.