A horse lover is threatening to take legal action against a Black Country council after one of his beloved mares was seized.

Joe Farrington said he has kept horses in the field close to his home in Tipton for more than 20 years.

He said he was shocked to discover the mare, called Black Bella, had been removed. He will need to pay bailiffs £2,000 in order to get her back. Now he is investigating possible legal avenues to get the horse back. He has argued Sandwell Council’s blanket policy of removing all horses is unfair.

“I have had horses in that field since we moved here in the 1980s and they have never done any harm,” he said.

Councillor Derek Rowley, Sandwell’s cabinet member for neighbourhood services, said: “We have always said stray horses are the priority. But tethered horses in open space is not acceptable. Mr Farrington can take legal action but it will fail.”

To read our stories in full, log in to the premium 24 website.