HORSE owners who let their animals graze next to busy roads could soon have them impounded and have to pay at least £1,000 to get them back.

A new specialist service employed by Durham County Council has set a July 1 deadline for clearing strays and tethered horses from its land.

Any animals picked up by the company and not claimed will be sold.

Together with a similar system being set up by Wear Valley District Council, the move should go a long way to tackling an issue which has plagued the Bishop Auckland area, in particular, for many years.

Last month, a young stallion died when it choked on a chain, yards from the town's bypass.

Days earlier, a six-year-old girl had been dragged around a council playing field by a horse.

The county council will not disclose where the horses will be taken. In the past, impounding schemes have failed because owners found out where their animals were and snatched them back.

A spokesman said: "This shows that the county council means business. We are confident that it will have a significant impact in dealing with the ongoing problem of stray horses."