FOLLOWING concern over the welfare of horses grazing alongside the flooded banks of the Mar Dyke river in the west of the borough, owners appear to have moved the animals to safer sites or kept them in their stable accommodation.

Concern about the horses was raised on social media sites over recent days as the waters rose all along the Mar Dyke Valley.

Horses grazing along the Mar Dyke has been a focal point of local attention in recent years, particularly in the winter and spring months when the river regularly floods. So much so that Thurrock Council even has a special section on its Animal Care and Control website relating just to welfare checks on horses grazing there, a service carried out in association with the RSPCA.

The issue is one that appears to crop up regularly. Almost exactly a year ago, Thurrock Nub News reported on similar concerns to those expressed this week.

There should not actually be any horses grazing in the Mar Dyke Valley at this time of year.

Several years ago Thurrock Council seized the initiative by stating that a ban would be imposed on horses grazing in the Valley, where much of the land is owned by the council, between November and March.

It came about after, in 2013, a number of organisations and individuals including councillors, Police, the Wildlife Trust, Remus Horse Sanctury, residents and then council chief executive Graham Farrant walked the Mar Dyke Valley and came up with a plan of action.

However, an apparent shortfall of available grazing land in the borough has meant that some horse owners have been ignoring the ban, or waiting until the very last moment of possible danger to remove their horses.