HORSES abandoned on Christmas Day have been running wild and causing havoc in Harrow Weald.

At least 30 horses have been dumped on the roads in the north of the borough in the last month, and they have been allowed to run wild on to a sports ground, back gardens, and private farm land.

Harrow Police, Harrow Council, animal protection workers and the RSPCA have rounded up the horses in separate areas around Old Redding and off Oxhey Lane but nobody is taking responsibility for them.

The horses have been discovered at different times, as landowners have found broken fences, damage to property, and the horses grazing on their fields.

In one instance, 15 horses were found on private land in Old Redding, another eight got on to the Roger Bannister Sports Ground, and seven horses broke into one of the fields of Oxhey Lane Farm.

Jacqui Johnson, whose parents own Oxhey Lane Farm, said it has been a “nightmare” since they found the wild horses on Christmas Day.

She said: “It is a difficult situation because nobody wants to take responsibility for them.

“They are all over the place, and nobody is sure where they came from, but someone has to feed them sooner or later.

“It has been a nightmare, we keep putting them back and fixing our fences, but they keep coming through.”

The seven horses are now on council-owned land where building work is taking place, and council officers have launched an investigation into the source of the wild horses.

They suspect illegal horse trading and the officers are working with police and animal protection officers to remove the animals from the private land.

Councillor Susan Hall, deputy leader of Harrow Council, said: "On previous occasions we have worked closely with the police in seeking to put an end to an illegal trade that was causing misery to landowners and local householders alike.  

"We will not hesitate to use the courts to halt a trade that flouts the concerns of local people and is a blight on the community."

Over the border in Watford, 22 horses in poor health were dumped in December in another case of animals being abandoned.

Police are looking at any possible connection between the two incidents.