Horses loose on carriageway of major road

Several horses have been loose on the carriageway of a major road in Dorset.

Dorset Police said it received a report at 11:50 BST that a small herd was spotted on the southbound carriageway of the A338 Spur Road near Christchurch.

Police attended the scene and helped manage the traffic as the horses were rounded up. Shortly after 14:30 a spokesperson said the horses were "no longer on the A338" and that the road had re-opened.

The RSPCA is co-ordinating with the owner of the horses, police said.

The incident caused long delays in the area with the road blocked from Ringwood to Bournemouth.

At one point the horses were seen trotting along by the central reservation.

BBC reporter Dan George, who was at the scene, said: "Police stopped us on the slip road heading onto the A338 and we were stationary for well over an hour.

"Officers then informed us that the horses had been running up and down the road and were in the process of being rounded up."

He said that after about 20 minutes drivers were asked by the apparent owner of the horses to move from the slip road to the grass verge, and then waited for the horses to pass by.

George added that "about an hour and 15 minutes went by before the police officers packed up their signs and diversion, and we were back on the move again" with motorists "having to drive over a fair bit of manure before getting into the clear road".