The driver of a car which hit a stray horse in Dudley has spoken of her horror as she saw the animal charging at her windscreen.

Joanne Morris, aged 29, was on her way home after visiting a relative in Gornal when she spotted the horse running towards Pensnett High Street at around 6.50pm on Monday.

Before she had time to react, the horse charged at oncoming vehicles then smashed into Miss Morris’s car.

She said: “Luckily I was only going at 20 to 25 mph.

“The horse was running and seemed quite panicked, he missed about three or four other vehicles.

“The driver going in the opposite direction slammed her brakes on, but the horse just smashed into my windscreen.

“The impact came as I stopped, the windscreen shattered. I was covered in glass. The horse’s behind was in my face before he rolled off the bonnet.

“If I was going any faster he would have been on my lap, and both of us would either have severe injuries or been killed.” Miss Morris, of Fairview Crescent in Kingswinford, suffered minor whiplash. She has lost her no claims bonus and has to pay an insurance excess of at least £350.

She lives with her partner Andy, 30, and works at a school for children with behavioural difficulties in Oldbury.

The RSPCA paid for the horse to be treated for cuts and a leg injury, and has placed him in a sanctuary. The crash follows repeated warnings from residents about the problem of stray horses.

A clampdown on illegal grazing has been introduced, but residents and councillors are demanding more action. A meeting on the issue was held by West Midlands Police and Dudley Council last night.