HORSES are back grazing on land in Worcester despite two animals having been removed and impounded by the council.

A tethered white horse was spotted on Sunday afternoon grazing next to the roundabout which connects Wainwright Road and Brindley Road in Warndon Villages.

A second horse, a brown pony, was also spotted grazing nearby in Wainwright Road, also on Sunday afternoon.

A Worcester City Council spokesperson said: “We are currently investigating reports of horses tethered on public land, and will work with Worcestershire County Council to determine the most appropriate course of action.”

We reported on March 8 how Shane Smith’s horses were left grazing on council-owned grassland along Wainwright Road in Warndon Villages, Worcester, but have been impounded by the city council. Mr Smith said at the time that he received no warning, adding he has no idea where they are. The 23-year-old of nearby Offerton Lane, Worcester, was contacted to see if the horses pictured on Sunday are his but he did not return telephone calls at the time the Worcester News went to press. They are not thought to be the same horses which were impounded, one of which was a skewbald and the other a piebald.

Worcester City Council said it acted following a number of calls from concerned members of the public, although the owner of a local horse rescue centre has told your Worcester News that the horses seemed well cared for.

It is understood Mr Smith did not have permission to graze his animals on the land.

The city council declined to say if it had sought advice from a vet or animal welfare before seizing the animals.

Worcester City Council confirmed to your Worcester News that it authorised an external company, Equine and Land Management, to remove the animals under the Animals Act 1971. Public concerns ranged from welfare worries and fears the horses may stray into the road.

A spokesman for the council said in reference to previous seizure of the two horses: “There was a notice left there (the spot from where they were moved) with a phone number so it was not as though the horses just disappeared."