A HEARTBROKEN family who had two mares and foals stolen a year ago is helping trace two horses taken from a Callow End field last week.

Jeanette Donnelly, of Canterbury Road, Ronkswood, Worcester believes the latest theft - from a field in Lower Lane, Callow End - may be linked to their horses being stolen last September.

In the most recent incident, the two horses were taken from Callow End between 8pm on Friday, August 13 and 9.57am on Saturday, August 14.

Tyre tracks showed the vehicle carrying the horses left along Upton Road.

Mrs Donnelly said her 11-year-old daughter Eilish was distraught after thieves stole their two mares and their young foals last year.

Their beloved horses - which they planned to use to raise money for the Acorn Children's Hospice Trust by giving pony rides - were taken from a field in Spetchley, Worcester.

Memories

Mrs Donnelly said reports of the latest incident - featured in Tuesday's Evening News - brought memories flooding back and made her think they might be linked.

Now the family has turned super-sleuth in a bid to trace the culprits, after police contacted them for help.

Mrs Donnelly said they were giving the owners - who have not been named - advice as to where they searched for their horses.

She said she hoped it might lead them to find the culprits responsible for stealing their horses.

"We've never got over it and we're still looking everywhere now - you can't replace them because they're a part of the family," said Mrs Donnelly, a superviser at Nunnery Wood High School.

"When it happened to us it was coming up to this time of year and was the same time of night and people who've had horses for ages were saying 'you don't hear of many horses being stolen around here' which made me think it might be linked."

The Donnellys tirelessly spent the last year travelling across the country to horse auctions and slaughter-houses in a bid to find their horses, also posting notices up and scouring the internet for clues.

Police want to hear from anyone offered either of the Callow End horses, one of which is described as a black and white piebald Irish Cob-style animal, standing at 14.3 hands.

The description of the second horse is currently unavailable.

Anyone with information should call police on 08457 444 888, quoting 210S/140804.