‘Kentucky Derby’ with wild, loose horses in estates

The gardaí are having to police anti social behaviour in New Ross estates, including the control of horses, due to a lack of around the clock services from the council,

Speaking at the meeting of New Ross Municipal District, Cllr Michael Sheehan said horses are being kept in council house gardens in New Ross and are roaming into estate green areas and onto roads.

He asked what Wexford County Council’s after hours policy is for policing this.

‘What is the policy after hours and on public holidays when horses appear in the gardens of houses in estates,’ Cllr Sheehan said.

District manager Mick McCormack said there are no staff to address the problem during these times and days, urging people to contact the gardaí.

Cllr Anthony Connick said: ‘ The guards will go up and tell the owner that if they put the horse on a public road they are liable for it. There is a knock on effect for neighbouring estates.’

Mr McCormack said he will raise the issue with the council’s environment department.

Cllr Connick said the horses are wandering onto green areas in estates where children are playing.

When challenged the owners claim to know nothing about the animal, he added.

Cllr Sheehan said: ‘ The horses were going walkabout from the house. Why do we have residents with horses in their gardens? I am getting a bit tired of the gardaí becoming the council’s after hours workers. The gardaí have their own job. They are not social workers and they are not in animal control. The Nash turn going onto the main road is like the Kentucky Derby and it’s not only there. It’s literally anything goes. What is going to happen is there is going to be an accident on the road and someone will run into one and there will be hell to pay.’

He said the horse owner will disappear. ‘A horse is not the kind of thing you can hide in a kitchen. Someone will end up with a horse on a bonnet.’

‘Now you know what we’ve been putting up with for 50 years in the country,’ cathaorileach Cllr John Fleming said.

District director Eamonn Hore said a contract is in place with a company to collect the horses, adding that around 110 horses were collected in one calendar year recently.