Trapped horse left overnight by workmen

11:30am Friday 25th January 2013 in News

The trapped horse The trapped horse

A HORSE was left trapped overnight in metal fencing dumped by workmen in Woolston.

The animal became trapped in the field on Battery Lane next to where developers are building 10 houses for David Wilson Homes.

It was left for hours until neighbours were alerted to its distress on Thursday, using wire cutters to set it free. The horse did not appear to be injured.

Residents also say that nails, old pieces of fencing and barbed wire are being left in the field.

David Foster, of Battery Lane, said: “I was out with my dogs and a resident shouted me over that a horse was trapped.

“I went round to the area which now has the six foot fencing around.

“I managed to get in and just comforted the horse “We used wire cutters to cut a hole in the fence panel.

“The contractors were sat in their van, on Battery Lane, blocking it.”

The development by DWH continues to cause controversy.

As revealed in the Warrington Guardian, the plans to build the homes - metres from where banks of the River Mersey suddenly collapsed - drew an angry response from neighbours.

Six horses are kept in the field next to the development site but owner Jane O’Neil has been told to move them.

A spokesman for DWH said land will be now provided for the animals.

“Safety on our construction sites for residents, employees and animals alike is of the highest importance to David Wilson Homes.

“We have been working closely with the tenant, Mrs O’Neill since February 2011 and have repeatedly agreed her request to extend her license to keep horses on our land in Woolston at no charge.

“Prior to fencing work commencing on this site, we advised Mrs O’Neill of the impending works and suggested the animals be relocated.

Furthermore, David Wilson Homes are assisting with the relocation of the horses by providing substantial new fencing materials to ensure the long term safety of the horses on an adjacent field.

“We appreciate the concerns of residents and will continue to work with both Mrs O’Neil and our fencing contractors until the horses have been relocated, so that any concerns are addressed as quickly as possible.”

Comments(15)

wa1 resident says...
12:30pm Fri 25 Jan 13

Given that the application was approved in part due to the explicit comment back on 3rd January by Andrew Taylor Planning Director @ David Wilson Homes who stated that the horses have categorically left this site, these latest comments and admissions by DWH must surely cast further doubt on the applicants credibility and indeed the planning committee decision based on statements which were clearly untrue at that time.....

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Saysitasitis says...
1:24pm Fri 25 Jan 13

I 'canter' understand some people.
Was it all 'hands' to the pumps?
As long as it is 'stable' now, that's the 'mane' thing... :-)

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moleogod says...
1:57pm Fri 25 Jan 13

now that's what i call a neigh-borhood working together

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Sameoldsameold says...
5:58pm Fri 25 Jan 13

No doubt people are jockeying for position, yet another hurdle for people to overcome

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montblanc says...
10:32am Sat 26 Jan 13

At the Warrington Boro Council Planning meeting on 3rd Jan, a Wilson Homes representative stated that the proposed site was an empty field. This field has actually been a pasture for horses for many years. There were at least 60 local residents at this meeting and when they tried to correct the false information given by the Wilson Homes Representaive, they were told by the Planning Comm Chairman, to stop interrupting and sit down. The Planning Comm then rushed the vote through and we now have 10 homes going to be built on a horses pasture some 20 metres away from the River Mersey where there was an approx 300metre stretch of banking collapse a couple of months ago. This meeting finished approx 9pm Thursday evening and Friday morning Wilson Homes were trying to evict the horses from the field so they can start building. It is about time the Warrington Guardian investigated some of the decisions involving Warrington Planning Comm and developers in this town. I have made a complaint to Warrington Council Chief Exec Steve Broomhead on 5th Jan, still no reply as of today 26th Jan. Earlier this week i made a formal complaint to the Government Ombudsman to investigate this disgraceful decision

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tarasmum says...
2:12pm Sat 26 Jan 13

No surprises here. Builders and contractors generally ride roughshod over people's feelings and get their way in the end. Utterly disgraceful that they did NOTHING to help this poor horse, but typical. Just look at the carnage in Victoria Park and surrounding area due to so called 'flood defences'. Where once we had abundant shrubs and bushes along Knutsford Road at river level where kingfishers lived out their lives, we now have ugly rocks dumped into the river stretching as far as the eye can see and all the bushes have gone!!! The reason for the rocks? When all the trees, tree roots and bushes were butchered and taken away, the bank started to erode (surprise, surprise) so it had to be shored up with the ugly rocks. A farce, an utter farce. But why should the contractors care, they're getting paid aren't they and then they'll move on to the next site to destroy more nature and wildlife..

Well said by the way montblanc.

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old-codger says...
2:16pm Sat 26 Jan 13

A horse is a horse of course its hoarse,
And no-one can talk to a horse of course,
Unless of course that little horse is the famous mister ed.

Hello Wilbur.

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BaggieBird says...
2:53pm Mon 28 Jan 13

I am so disappointed in this unbalanced article from the Guardian – its so one sided and the quote from David Wilson Homes is so obviously put together by a media department in damage limitation mode who have been I feel at best economical with the truth.
Here are the facts. Jane is a friend of mine and has had horses grazing in and around this site for over 20 years. She knew she had to move from the field if planning permission was granted but had been verbally told that she would be ok for approximately another 2 months after 3 January so being told to move in less than 1 week was a shock. Worse still she was told to leave the stables close to the site at the same time – this was a complete surprise as the stables are not part of the building plot or planning application.
David Wilson Home have not provided alternative fields for the horses as stated in the article – Jane has used an existing field of hers and paid to have the brambles cleared to make it suitable
David Wilson Homes when securing the building site, arranged for a fencing contractor to remove the existing fencing intact so it could be recycled by Jane at the new field, however, the fencers used a chain saw to cut down the fences resulting in most of the posts and rails being useless for anything other than firewood and Jane losing fencing worth hundreds of pounds
The fencers also left barbed wire in the field, holes in the fence and fence panels on the floor. Jane and friends had to walk the field each day to remove anything carelessly thrown away by the fencers that would injury the horses.
The horse pictures trapped in the fence panel is an example of what a careless cavalier attitude the fencers had. The horse was cut free and was not distressed or injured – but this is due to luck and Jane taking speedy action - things could have been much worse.
David Wilson homes have put new fencing up in the new field after weeks of pleading by Jane O’Neill. I think in the circumstances this is the very very least they should have done and is yet another example of a large uncaring company riding rough shod over everyone to their own advantage.

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wa1 resident says...
7:28pm Mon 28 Jan 13

If as a business your experience tells you that spin or even a mistruth can help to get you what you want from the people who you need onboard then that can be seen to be felt to be worth the minor inconvenience of any grumblings of those affected but who dont decide the outcome of what you want

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montblanc says...
7:41pm Mon 28 Jan 13

WA1 Resident
Very well said, i totally agree with your comment. I think you can put David Wilson Homes and the words "mistruth" and "spin" and come up with an appropriate sentence. Daivd Wilson homes are just bullying the local residents and Warrington Boro Council are just rolling over and letting them
It would be nice if David Wilson Homes clarified their employees comments at the Council Planning meeting on 3rd Jan that the proposed site was "an empty field"

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dogwalker2 says...
8:13pm Mon 28 Jan 13

I too, made an official complaint to Warrington Borough Council's Interim Chief Executive, Professor Steven Broomhead on the 6th January regarding this shocking planning decision. I haven't had an acknowledgement or a reply yet. Mine wasn't a negative NIMBY response, it was actual facts about the collapsed river bank and that nothing should be built on that land until the river banks are stabilised and the subsidence investigated. It is ludicrous to build houses here while the river bank footpaths have disappeared and the land is dangerous.
Warrington Council have been out this week and 'welded shut' an access gate to the river bank. This is less than 7 metres away from this building site! So tell us Warrington Council, your Planning Department seem to think this land is safe, your Parks and Open Spaces Department seem to think it is dangerous, which is it?
I feel, however, their is more to come on this dirty deal. Adjacent to this site is a stable block which is not part of the development. It is my understanding that this is to be offered for sale on the open market. We will see who eventually ends up with it.

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dogwalker2 says...
9:04pm Mon 28 Jan 13

I forgot to mention that the stable block is also owned by David Wilson Homes.

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wa1 resident says...
10:44am Tue 29 Jan 13

You may also wish to refer to application considered in the same month ref 2012/20594 which was initially given a recommend refuse decision but which when the application was amended to include a section 106 agreement, which is a financial contribution by the applicant into a pot, then resulted in planning changing to a recommend approve from a recommend decline and the application was then duly approved! In most industries and in day to day life there would be a clear phrase for what this can reasonably be seen to look like, though we are clearly not dealing with most industries here!

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grey_man says...
5:36pm Tue 29 Jan 13

Good luck getting Steven Broomhead or indeed anybody else in the council to take any notice of problems in the planning department. Planning officers have got away with breaking the law in the very recent past in circumstances that would suggest a cover up for corruption. He's hardly likely to take any notice of residents complaining about this piece of chicanery from planners.

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Unfortunate says...
1:10pm Sat 2 Feb 13

First and most important, this is both unstable land and a flood zone. Why would anyone buy a home built on this property? Second, the builders are just doing their job or keeping their job by acting like thugs for the company owner. Where money is concerned, men will ignore laws and morals for their bit of it. They should be ashamed.

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