Startled drivers forced stop after dozens of ponies careered on to a busy road near Harborough

Dozens of ponies careered on to a busy road on the edge of Market Harborough yesterday morning (Sunday) after escaping from a nearby meadow.

Up to about 40 travellers’ horses got onto the A4304 road about halfway between Market Harborough and Lubenham as they forced startled drivers to come to a sudden halt.

Cars, lorries and vans had to pull up quickly after the big band of animals suddenly charged out of the paddock through an open gate.

A stunned dog-walker who saw the astonishing incident said: “I watched the whole drama unfold in front of me, just a few hundred yards away on a glorious Sunday morning.

“I couldn’t believe it.

“One minute the horses were roaming around in their meadow – and the next they were all streaming out through the open gate.

“They saw their chance to make a bolt for freedom and they went for it.”

The incident happened just before 10am.

“I was walking our dogs up on a hill when I spotted that a few of the horses had got out and were starting to wander away.

“The rest of the herd quickly saw their mates pouring out and before you knew it the whole group were stampeding out into the open countryside,” said the walker, who asked not to be named.

“The ringleaders told the band through a couple of fields leading up to a local landmark known as the Spinney before crashing out through a small gap for walkers straight on to the road.

“They milled around for a bit out of control on the road, obviously forcing shocked drivers to stop straight away.

“There were cars, vans and even a lorry or two caught up in the chaos.

“Luckily, no one had been going too fast or there could have been a serious accident.

“One or two motorists jumped out of their motors and helped to shoo the circling horses back into the field.

“And a quick-thinking driver did brilliantly by backing their car into the narrow exit to bottle up the animals in the paddock and prevent further trouble.

“I ran home with my dogs to get my phone and alert the police,” said the eye-witness.

“I then dashed back to find that the road was clear, the traffic had moved off and the ponies had stormed off deeper into the countryside behind Lubenham Hill.

“About half an hour later I finally saw travellers rolling up in one van to try to round them up and get them back into their meadow.

“It’s just very fortunate that no one – either the horses or motorists – were hurt in the mayhem.”

A Leicestershire Police spokeswoman said they did get several calls about “horses loose on the A4304 but officers didn’t attend as the owner dealt with the animals.

“We were called just before 10am to make us aware of the incident.”