A HERD of abandoned of horses has caused chaos at a Hampshire golf club.

The six horses have been running wild at Alresford Golf Club over the last two weeks.

Although the club did not put a figure on the damage to the faiways ad greens it is likely to run into thousands of pounds. It is not known who they belong to.

Course manager Steve Privett said: “The truth of the matter is something has to be done with them all all, what that is I do not know.

“We have had the horses run out and causing a lot of damage we have done our best to get them off site and they are now in an unsecure field.”

Mr Privett said the horses had damaged greens and he was concerned the the club’s taking would be affected if the animals continued to invade the course.

“As soon as anyone gets near them they just bolt, at the moment we are at a loose end because they are not on our site at the moment but we are worried they will come back,” he said.

If the horses were to stay on the course for 96 hours the club could claim ownership and then sell them, have them moved or destroyed.

However, the club say they do not have the means to take responsibility for the horses.

One worried local resident, Jenna Shaw, from Cheriton, fears that not enough is being done deal with the horses.

Jenna said: “The RSPCA won’t do anything because the horses are in good health. They are causing thousands of pounds worth of damage. They are on the course but no-one can get near them.”

Malcolm Butcher, of The Pastures, Cheriton, said there are horses in the field off Appledown Lane next to the golf course.

He said: “The horses appeared about six weeks ago around the Tichborne area, galloping around half the night.

“Trouble was caused when people chased them around.

“Nobody seems to know where they came from or who the owner is. Perhaps someone has kicked them out for the winter and will collect them in the spring.

“Something needs to be sorted. If they get out of the field again, the golf club will cause merry hell.”

A spokeswoman for Hampshire Police said: “We did attend the golf course on Sunday after they reported there were horses on the golf course.

“We advised them that this is not a police matter and gave them advice on the ‘Control of Horses Act’ and that this is a civil matter.”