Horse tragedy on Cotswold main road (From Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard)

Horse tragedy on Cotswold main road

A COTSWOLD farmer is mourning the loss of two horses after they escaped from his field and were hit by a car on the A417.

One animal was killed when it stepped into the path of a blue BMW driving in the direction of Cirencester on Friday evening.

The second horse was found with a broken leg and put down by a vet at the scene, while two others on the loose from the farm in Duntisbourne Abbots were caught.

The 51-year-old driver of the car, a man from Reading, was not seriously injured in the accident.

Both horses belonged to farmer Roger Wilcox, who says his family have been left shocked by what happened.

He believes the animals escaped after the gate to their field was left open that afternoon.

He said: "It has been very upsetting. One of the horses was definitely hit by a car and killed outright.

"We found a gate open at the bottom corner of the field, which goes on to a lane that runs through open countryside.

"More and more people are coming for walks in the countryside during the holiday time and this is when these things happen, when everybody is out and about.

"I certainly hope it wasn't malicious. I think it was just one of those things." It was the police who notified Mr Wilcox about the accident, which took place at around 5.35pm.

Mr Wilcox said: "I just rushed out to try and get them back - it was the first thing we tried to do. We just hoped everything would be okay, but it wasn't."

Mr Wilcox also thanked the Cotswold Hunt kennels for turning up so promptly and helping his him out so much.

He said: "It was nightime and they were very quick - the (injured) horse was in great distress and they very kindly helped us out."

The gate left open has now been chained up so that walkers wishing to pass will have to climb over it.

A Gloucestershire police spokesman said: "We are still investigating to find out how these horses managed to escape.

"It was a serious incident but thankfully the driver was not seriously injured."