An unhealthy horse has been removed from a field in Ashford by an animal charity following concerns over its welfare.

The animal was one of three that have been living on a piece of land off Victoria Road, opposite the primary school.

Passers-by have noticed that the horses look underweight and that their hair is badly matted.

Concerned neighbour Hannah Poynton said: “Their manes are very matted. They will need to be shaved in order to sort them.

“It isn’t a very large field and the waste is building up. It smells.

“People have been stopping as they go past. There is no fresh water for them.”

Mrs Poynton called animal charity the RSPCA three times to report her worries about the animals.

She adds: “The lady I spoke to said they had received 30 calls.”

The organisation said officers have the visited the site with a vet, and after evaluating the horses, decided to remove one of them.

A spokesman said: “The RSPCA is aware of horses kept at Victoria Road in Ashford and has been visiting them on a regular basis to check on their welfare for the past couple of months.

“We have visited with a vet on several occasions and are in conversations with the owner to give them advice and improve their conditions.

“One of the horses was said to be underweight by a vet and as a result was signed over by the owners and given into the care of another horse charity.”

However, Mrs Poynton thinks that it is time the other two are removed too.

Another concerned resident, Jan Cook, took the horses some food on Sunday, but said one could barely eat.

She said: “I went down with some apples and carrots, but one couldn’t even bite into the apple. It is pitiful.

“Their mane and tails are covered in brambles and thistles. When they swish their tails, you can see that they must be in some kind of discomfort.

“It’s sickening to know that their owner can just leave them like that. It breaks my heart.”

The RSPCA added however that it cannot simply remove the other two horses, despite public concern over their condition.

A spokesman said: “The RSPCA and other horse welfare charities can only remove animals if the law allows us to do so and in this case the horses are clearly being fed, given fresh water and having their basic needs met.

“Sadly this situation is not uncommon. The country is currently in the grip of a horse crisis with the RSPCA and other horse welfare charities struggling to cope with the numbers of abandoned, neglected and abused horses.”