A MAN has spoken of his distress after six of his horses disappeared from a field in Bishop Auckland.

John Wilson, 22, has spent the past fortnight driving around the area looking for his five Shetland ponies and black and white (piebald) cob-type horse, which he discovered missing on New Year's Day.

He believes the ponies, which were in a field off Green Lane, were either stolen or escaped and were put in someone else's field.

John, who works in the motor trade, said: "The ponies were kept in the same field all the time. It's been nearly two weeks since they've gone missing and I've never stopped looking."

The five Shetland include two chestnuts, one piebald, one grey and one black pony.

Acting Inspector Kevin Tuck, of Bishop Auckland police, said: "We regularly have a problem with stray horses in the area and if there are horses loose on the highway both the police and the local authority should be contacted."

The North-East's poor record on cruelty prompted The Northern Echo to launch Animal Watch last year. Our campaign aims to highlight cases of cruelty and ways of improving our treatment of animals.

Anyone with information about the horses should contact Bishop Auckland Police on (01388) 603566.