Claim gangs mark out horses to steal

Gangs of Irish travellers are believed to be using a sinister marking technique to single out horses in Shropshire to steal and take home to race, it was claimed today.

Police have issued a warning to horseowners in the county to be on the lookout for a practice known as "horse tagging" where plaits are tied in the manes of the animals which could mean they are targets to be stolen at a later date.

Incidents have already been reported in Church Preen, Pontesbury near Shrewsbury, and Telford.

Roger Pittaway, clerk of Wroxeter and Uppington Parish Council, near Shrewsbury, said they had received a visit from Constable Dave Harte who told them about the issue.

He said: "Constable Harte is very concerned that horses are being targeted in the area by the travelling fraternity.

"It's called horse tagging and it's coming up from the south. They are using these horses for racing in Ireland and they are looking for new stock. They race them into the ground and then abandon them or kill them. They are going around looking for horses they can steal."

Mr Pittaway said the plaits were so discreet that unless a person looked out for them they would often go unnoticed.

Constable Harte said one incident had been reported to police in the south of England regarding a horse stolen from a field in Guildford, Surrey. It was later found abandoned at a ferry port in Holyhead destined for Ireland, understood to have been left behind be-cause it was microchipped.

He added: "We have had incidents in Church Preen, Pontesbury and in Telford. No horses have been stolen but we have found plaits in their manes.

"We have sent warnings on the Ringmaster system and to everyone on the RuralWatch system in Shropshire."