Three Shetland ponies die after being hit by a train
Three Shetland ponies have died after being hit by a train.
The ponies strayed onto a railway line between Doncaster and Scunthorpe yesterday (Thursday 21 June).
The passenger train struck them around 10am.
One was a pregnant mare, who died of her injuries. Two more were put down at the scene with broken legs.
They were part of a herd of a dozen ponies who had escaped from a nearby field and strayed onto the railway line.
“British Transport Police officers attended the incident, which was reported at 10.21am, together with colleagues from Network Rail and the RSPCA. During the incident, three horses were killed,” said a spokesman for British Transport Police.
“Officers are currently carrying out a full investigation into the incident to determine how the horses came to be on the tracks.”
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The RSPCA told H&H it was investigating and could not comment further.
Anyone with information should call British Transport Police on 800 40 50 40.
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A graduate of Exeter University, Amy joined our news team from Redpin Publishing in 2008 as news writer. She was promoted to deputy news editor in May 2013 and became news editor in April 2015. She left Horse & Hound in March 2016 to take up an editorial position in Dubai.