THURROCK Council says they have not found any horses being grazed on land they are connected with in the Mar Dyke Valley, after a week of concern from residents.

Earlier this week Thurrock Nub News reported on concerns about horses being grazed on flooded land and later we carried pictures of horses that were in fields adjacent to floodwater.

The concerns were passed to Thurrock Council by Nub News, and were also forwarded by members of the local community. Many related comments appeared on local social media websites.

However, today (Friday, 11 December) the council have issued a statement saying the situation of horses in the Mar Dyke area which concern residents is not a problem for them.

The council issued a statement on behalf of council leader Cllr Rob Gledhill which reads: "This has been an issue for a number of years and we take animal welfare in our borough very seriously. The horses in the Mar Dyke Valley area receive regular welfare checks from the RSPCA, who are in contact with the horse owners.

"Council officers continue to monitor this area and visited the site following reports of horses on council-owned land on two separate occasions on Wednesday, 9 December, as well as on Friday, 11 December.

"No horses have been found to be on land we own which is not leased to a tenant. Our officers have also been in contact with our tenant on Wednesday, 9 December who was equally unaware of any horses wandering on to our land currently.

"I would thank our residents for their commitment to boosting animal welfare in our borough and urge them to please report any concerns about horse welfare or any other animal cruelty to the RSPCA as soon as possible."