FOUR horses were hurt after a riding school field was used as a dumping ground.

Staff at Grovely's Riding Centre, Wilton found a two-seater sofa, an armchair and planks of wood with embedded nails in one of their fields.

One horse was left lame after it got a nail stuck in its foot and the vet had to be called. The horse was given antibiotics and it is not yet clear if it will fully recover.

The staff at the riding school also moved some horses into another field for safety, but one distressed horse kicked a fence and managed to get both hind legs stuck - a further two horses were also injured.

Gerry Dunne from the centre said: "It's the welfare of the horses that concerns me the most. I don't think these people realise the implications of what they're doing are very serious." Dumping is not a new problem for the school. In July, five young horses from the school escaped onto the road after fencing was taken down and debris from a dismantled patio was dumped onto the school field.

Ms Dunne added: "Just an ounce of common sense would tell them that it's not right. It's absolutely thoughtless."

The staff are now unsure of what to do as local authorities claim no responsibility: "The council came out the morning after, but said there was nothing really they could do and told us to contact the police," said Ms Dunne.

" The police also said there is nothing they could do. So we contacted Wilton Estate, who own the land, but they said it's the tenants' responsibility, which is the council. It would be laughable if it wasn't so serious."