Horses spooked by 'big bang' when builders' concrete clattered to the ground sparking rampage that left five injured

24 April 2024, 15:01

Five people have been injured as well as some of the horses
Five people have been injured as well as some of the horses. Picture: Alamy/LBC

By Flaminia Luck

Military horses caused "total mayhem" in central London after they were apparently spooked by builders moving rubble.

Listen to this article

Loading audio...

A group of seven horses and six soldiers from the Household Cavalry were on an extended exercise in Belgravia on Wednesday when chaos erupted.

Four service personnel were thrown from their horses and five of the animals got loose, smashing into vehicles and causing a number of injuries in a six-mile rampage.

It is believed the animals were spooked when some concrete being moved by builders hit the ground.

Two horses on the loose bolt through the streets of London near Aldwych. Picture date: Wednesday April 24, 2024.
Two horses on the loose bolt through the streets of London near Aldwych. Picture date: Wednesday April 24, 2024. Picture: Alamy

Ambulance crews treated four people in three separate incidents in Buckingham Palace Road, Belgrave Square, and at the junction of Chancery Lane and Fleet Street, in the space of just 10 minutes.

It is understood that three soldiers were assessed in hospital for their injuries, which were not thought to be serious.

The drama began near Buckingham Palace Road where witnesses saw a serviceman thrown from his horse, and one of the loose animals crashed into a taxi waiting outside the Clermont Hotel, shattering the windows.

Read more: Female teacher ‘stabbed’ and two pupils injured in attack at school in Wales as one person arrested

The horses were spotted across London
The horses were spotted at various locations across London. Picture: Google

LBC spoke to the driver, Faraz, who said a white horse had collided with his Mercedes people carrier, leaving blood spattered down the side.

Another of the animals crashed into a tour bus, smashing the windscreen.

Two horses were then seen running in the road near Aldwych, one of which appeared to be covered in blood.

Read more: Terrified taxi driver describes moment bloody Household Cavalry horse smashed into his Mercedes van

A black horse collides with a London Taxi after bolting down the A4 near Aldwych, central London. Picture date: Wednesday April 24, 2024.
A black horse collides with a London Taxi after bolting down the A4 near Aldwych, central London. Picture date: Wednesday April 24, 2024. Picture: Alamy

'Just fell silent'

Jordan Pettitt, 26, who works for the PA news agency, said a white horse was "vividly" stained red with blood and he heard a black horse collide with a taxi.

He said: "The A4 at the Aldwych is usually pretty busy and it suddenly just fell silent.

"There was no traffic on the roads and all of a sudden we could hear some clattering of hooves just at the top of the road. Then coming down the top of the road were these two horses.

"They were coming down at quite a speed. They bolted southbound down the A4.

"Then as they came past me at some speed, they went straight down to the bottom of the road where it meets Fleet Street.

"The traffic lights were at red with a few buses and some taxis waiting there. These horses came hurtling down past the pedestrian crossing at that moment. Then the black horse collided with a black taxi.

"It was not to a great degree of power but it hit it strongly enough that we could hear it at the top of the road. You could hear the contact. Then it veered behind the taxi, went past the bus and headed eastbound on Fleet Street.

"The white horse that was with it looked like it doubled back on itself and then followed the black one as it went eastbound." The animals were later seen near the Limehouse Tunnel, before they were recaptured by City of London Police and taken away to be assessed by Army vets."

Read more: Former Labour minister and crossbench peer Frank Field dies aged 81

Two horses on the loose bolt through the streets of London near Aldwych. Picture date: Wednesday April 24, 2024.
Two horses on the loose bolt through the streets of London near Aldwych. Picture date: Wednesday April 24, 2024. Picture: Alamy

Roland, a worker for tour bus company Tootbus, described the chaotic scenes near Victoria.

"I saw horses come from the bus station in front of Victoria run around in a frenzy," he said.

"People were running around to avoid them - it was total mayhem."

A second tour bus worker, named only as Mr Mahmood, said: "One of the horses bumped into a bus, then everything got out of control.

"I saw two horses without riders gallop away. One rider managed to calm his horse down.

"An ambulance went to assist another rider who had been injured."

Read more: 'It’s so dangerous': Mum forced to walk in road with pram leaves notes for 'inconsiderate' drivers blocking pavements

An Army spokesman said: "A number of military working horses became loose during routine exercise this morning.

"All of the horses have now been recovered and returned to camp.

"A number of personnel and horses have been injured and are receiving the appropriate medical attention."

More Latest News

See more More Latest News

Palma is on lockdown amid warnings of heavy rain

Majorca on lockdown as tourist hotspot faces flooding horror after storm kills more than 200

UK GP visiting senior woman at home

Care homes and GPs could face closure under Labour tax plans, health leaders warn

Rebekah Vardy 'threatens to reignite war with Coleen Rooney'

Rebekah Vardy launches appeal against Wagatha Christie £1.8m costs ruling

Alexandra Palace Hosts Its Annual Fireworks Display Ahead Of Bonfire Night

Bonfire night 2024 forecast: What will the weather be like for fireworks night?

Darrian Williams

Two teen boys found guilty after 16-year-old stabbed to death by masked attackers in Bristol park

Westminster Protest

'Betrayed' farmers to protest over Labour's inheritance tax raid - as Chancellor insists changes are 'fair'

Police crime scene tape UK

Six teenagers arrested after 13-year-old girl left with life-threatening injuries in East Yorkshire stabbing

Israel claims to have killed a high-ranking member of Hamas

Israel 'eliminates' one of Hamas' last high-ranking officials

Prince Andrew, Duke of York and Prince Charles, Prince of Wales attend a Service of Thanksgiving to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee

King Charles 'finally cuts Prince Andrew off' as he 'axes Duke's annual £1m allowance'

Claw hammer-wielding public schoolboy who attacked sleeping students and teacher handed life sentence

Pictured: Public schoolboy, 17, who attacked sleeping students and teacher with hammers he kept 'for zombie apocalypse'

Emergency and rescue personnel work at the site where a concrete outdoor roof of a train station collapsed in the northern Serbian city of Novi Sad

Train station canopy collapses in Serbia, killing 8 people in horror accident, with more victims still trapped in rubble

The passengers was fined £48 despite their bag fitting.

Air passenger shames easyJet on TikTok after he was charged £48 for carry-on bag that fit perfectly into size checker

Gabriel Silvera and  Dragos Carabineanu

Thug kills father with one punch after being asked for a cigarette outside Tube station

File photo dated 26/07/24 of Ben Stokes. Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler, England’s Test and limited-overs captains respectively, have each signed new two-year central contracts. Issue date: Thursday October 31, 2024.

Man arrested after home of England cricket captain Ben Stokes raided by masked burglars

Claw hammer-wielding public schoolboy who attacked sleeping students and teacher handed life sentence

Hammer-wielding public schoolboy who attacked two sleeping students and a teacher named

Tube strikes have been called off

Tube strikes called off after significantly improved pay offer, union announces