Eight horses rescued from flooded field in Essex

Eight horses have been rescued from flooded fields after a 2-day rescue mission.

The horses were stranded by rising water in fields next to the River Chelmer, in Chelmsford.

A team of firefighters and an RSPCA inspector rounded up 5 horses on Friday (31 January). The final 3 were then helped by a specialist water rescue team on Saturday (1 February).

The rescuers waded into thigh-high flood water to round up the horses with rope lines. They were then ushered into a corral, where they could be loaded onto a horsebox.

“The rescue went very smoothly indeed,” Inspector Nicky Thorne said.

“The team worked very carefully and slowly to move the horses. In one place the horses had to go through a ditch where the water was deeper and they had to swim a few steps. Despite being a bit wet they were none the worse for their experience.“

The horses have now been put in a drier location by their owner.

For more on the impacts of the recent wet weather don’t miss this week’s issue of H&H — on sale on Thursday 6 February.

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