A woman has criticised a power company after her horse bolted when it was frightened by a low-flying helicopter checking power lines.

Vivien Fawcett was riding her horse at Ferryhill Station, near Ferryhill, County Durham, when the helicopter, hired by Northern Electric, appeared overhead.

Mrs Fawcett said: "The horse spun round in the middle of the road and just took off down the wrong side of the road.

"If there had been a car coming the other way there would have been a really bad accident.

"My horse cut its leg and she's a nervous wreck now. It should never have happened. The helicopter was so low I could read writing on the side of it. It must have seen me."

A spokeswoman for Northern Electric promises a thorough investigation.

She said: "The engineer responsible for hiring the helicopter has spoken to the lady to explain the situation to her and has apologised."

"The Civil Aviation Authority sets rules for helicopters on low flying near livestock, buildings and inhabited areas.

"In order to patrol our overhead lines effectively we need to fly fairly close to the wires, but the contract pilots do comply with these rules."