A Good Samaritan has gone to the rescue of stray horses found roaming near a busy road in the Black Country for a second time.

Nathan Astley was looking after five ponies after rounding them up outside Dudley Leisure Centre on Wednesday afternoon.

But on Saturday morning someone opened the gate and set the horses free. While out looking for the animals Mr Astley found three other ponies in nearby Stafford Street, and escorted them back to his yard in Dock Lane.

Mr Astley said: “I checked on the horses at 8am on Saturday and when I went back at about 10.30am, they had gone. The top padlock was missing so someone had let them out.

“I went to look for them and but couldn’t find them. Later I heard there were some in Stafford Street, which is nearby. I managed to tie a rope round one of them and the rest just followed. I led them back to the yard.”

The 33-year-old, who is a carer for his disabled mother, Audrey, aged 54, is now hoping the horses will be found new homes.

He said he had been inundated with donations of hay and feed since he helped to rescue the first group on Wednesday.

“I want to thank everyone who donated hay and carrots, they have been very kind,” he said.

Mr Astley helped builder Simon Ward, who was struggling to round up the first five distraught animals, which had been criss-crossing the busy road, causing traffic to brake sharply, at about noon on Wednesday.

Mr Ward, aged 48, of Westley Road, Ironbridge, Shropshire, who is converting a property in Wellington Road into apartments, marshalled the horses to stop them going into the road, while Mr Astley stopped traffic.

Mr Astley notified the council about the horses on Wednesday but no-one had arrived to collect them by Saturday morning.

He is now waiting for information about what will happen to the latest group of horses corralled in his yard.