Horses loose on M25 after trailer flips over

A trailer turned over on the M25 on Saturday, leaving its two equine passengers galloping loose on the motorway.

Escaped

The Landrover Discovery, which was towing the horses, collided with another vehicle – causing the trailer to overturn.

Surrey police was called to the scene betweenJ9 (Leatherhead) and J8 (Reigate) at around 9.40am on 8 August.

No one in the Landrover was injured, but the two horses escaped. Police blocked the carriageway between J8 and J7 on the anticlockwise stretch of the motorway while they recovered the animals. Traffic was tailed back as far as J10.

Flip over

One horse was caught at the scene, while the second horse galloped nearly a mile down the M25. One eye-witness was behind the trailer when it fell, but managed to avoid driving into it.

“I saw a big trailer suddenly pitchpole and flip in lane two sending a huge cloud of dust into the air,” Ben De Candole told Get Surrey. “As I passed, I saw a large horsebox lying on its side diagonally across lanes one and two, with a brown and white horse half hanging out the back. It was moving a bit.”

Fast lane

The driver then caught up with the other bay horse, following ‘for quite some way’ as he galloped down the fast lane heading towards J7. The horse was finally caught with help from other drivers who had stopped their vehicles.

Both horses were assessed by two vets who were fortunately at the scene. They were then transported to safety in separate horseboxes by passing members of the public, who offered their help.

Surrey Police are appealing for any witnesses to call 101 quoting reference number P15206849.