More than 400 reports of stray horses roaming the streets have been received by Dudley Council in just under a month,  an increase that has been described as unprecedented by the authority.

A total of 414 reports have been logged during January compared with 43 during the same month in 2010.

It follows complaints about stray horses causing havoc by trampling gardens and running in front of cars on the Russells Hall estate and in Pensnett and Brierley Hill.

St James’s ward councillor Malcolm Davis, who has received complaints from people living on the Russells Hall estate, said today he believed the surge in sightings was due to horse owners no longer being able to afford to keep their animals because of the credit crunch

“People are fed up of these horses trampling their gardens and causing damage to their homes,” he said.

“It is getting beyond a joke. We have more horses in Russells Hall than ever before.

“People can’t afford to keep and feed them.”

On Friday five horses were spotted near the Asda store in Venture Way, Brierley Hill, while on Thursday a group of 10 horses were grazing on a green off Orchard Street in  Brockmoor.

The same day, horses caused a nuisance as they wandered along Shakespeare Road, Tipton, holding up motorists and eating rubbish from bin bags.

Walsall and Dudley councils have vowed to team up to tackle the issue following a barrage of complaints from residents.

Dudley Council is also working with the RSPCA and police to find a long-term solution.

It currently pays an outside agency £20,400 a year to impound horses and in 2009/10, a dozen were captured.

Dudley Council spokesman Phil Parker said:  “While we don’t have a reactive service we can direct our enforcement agency to take action to impound the horses as our ultimate sanction.

“However, the problem of illegally grazing and stray horses has seen an unprecedented increase recently.”