Council 'sorry' for land firm's horse grab

Sharon and Joe Forsyth have kept horses in the same field at Wortley Beck, Leeds, for 30 years and family pony Brian had slept and grazed there for 15.

Unknown to the couple Leeds City Council adopted the land last year and a land management group called PPS removed their pony before sending a letter demanding a 1,275 release fee.

But they now claim the letter arrived on June 25, two days after the date PPS had told them to pay the release fee by, and that no money would be accepted after the given date.

The company has failed to respond to letters from a solicitor sent on behalf of the Forsyths and the council has refused to tell the couple where Brian is.

Mrs Forsyth, 41, said: "I feel like they took him and held him for ransom. We are powerless. This is pulling at my heart strings and I've been prescribed medication for the shock."

They have attempted to contact PPS but have since discovered they can only be contacted by post.

Her husband said: "It is destroying our lives. We were petrified that we might pay 1,200 into a bank account and then not only lose Brian, but our money too."

Yesterday, a council spokeswoman apologised to the Forsyths.

"We want to reassure Mr and Mrs Forsyth that their horse is being well cared for in stables, has been inspected by a vet and will continue to be looked after.

"We apologise unreservedly for their experience in dealing with the contractors acting on our behalf and their difficulty in finding out about the whereabouts and welfare of their horse, either from us or from PPS.

"This is clearly unacceptable and we will re-examine all procedures.

"Our staff and PPS work closely with the police in rounding up stray horses and we need to balance their safety with our service to the public.

"We take this very seriously and will look at every aspect of ours and PPS' systems."