Horses on the loose on Sussex motorway cause gridlock

Horses on a motorway in Sussex have caused gridlock this morning.
Horses on the loose on the M23 near Crawley have caused major delays. Picture: Sussex Roads PoliceHorses on the loose on the M23 near Crawley have caused major delays. Picture: Sussex Roads Police
Horses on the loose on the M23 near Crawley have caused major delays. Picture: Sussex Roads Police

At around 7.30am, Sussex Roads Police tweeted that 'traffic was at a standstill' due to the equine blockage on the M23.

Both carriageways were closed in case the six horses crossed over the central reservation.

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By 8am, the horse owner was found by police as was ‘en route as quickly as they can’, and at 8.30am police said Highways England was trying to turn around some of the trapped traffic and thanked drivers for their patience.

At 9.45am, Sussex Roads Police gave an update on Twitter. It said: "Half of the horses have been loaded into a vehicle, and we're just trying to persuade the rest in.

“They are, we are told by people with much better knowledge of horses than us, yearlings, who have never been in a vehicle before, so they're frightened & skittish about getting in."

At around 10am, Sussex Roads Police said the horses had been rounded up and the M23 had been reopened, and posted a photo of the culprits.