Horses pulled from sewage bog in Essex

Two colts have been pulled to safety after becoming submerged in a boggy ditch in an Essex field.

The dramatic rescue by the RSPCA and Essex County Fire and Rescue took place last Saturday (8 October) when a member of the public spotted the animals in difficulty. Emergency services were alerted and attended the remote location of Fort Road, Tilbury.

The two young horses had slipped down a bank and into a ditch that had sewage flowing into it.

“They were absolutely submerged, only their heads were sticking out from the thick muck,” described RSPCA inspector Marie Hammerton.

Rescue efforts took two hours, leaving the freed ponies exhausted by the trauma. Essex Horse and Pony Protection Society transferred the pair to House and Jackson vets where they were cleaned up and received treatment. They are now on their way to making a full recovery.

It is unknown if the horses had been abandoned, as they were found in an isolated area and were not fenced in. No-one has yet come forward to claim the animals, nicknamed Jammy and Dodger by the veterinary team, and new homes will be sought for them if their owner hasn’t been traced after seven days.

Anybody with any information about these horses can call RSPCA inspector’s appeal line on 0300 123 8018.