Alarm over runaway horse

Shoppers and visitors to York were forced to flee to safety as the horse charged through the city centre, which was packed with crowds basking in the sun.

The animal became startled and broke free from its reins outside York Minster after the carriage hit bollards at about 3.40pm on Sunday .

Eyewitness Andy Forde, 34, from Haxby, said: "People were jumping out of the way and fleeing, almost in a state of panic.

"I looked to see where it had gone, but it had already run off."

The driver of the carriage, in his 50s, who was thrown from his seat, was taken to hospital later for a check-up while the horse was finally brought under control by a member of the public two miles away in Heworth.