Traffic on the A540 was brought to a standstill on Saturday after seven ponies escaped

Aug 5 2009 by Matt Hurst, Birkenhead News

TRAFFIC was brought to a standstill on the A540 on Saturday after seven ponies escaped from a farm.

Parkgate Pony Sanctuary was in the middle of a display during its open weekend, when someone ran onto the showground shouting: “There are seven ponies running up and down Chester High Road!”

Sanctuary founder, Corinne Bamford told the News: “Everything was going fine with the show, and then somebody ran on shouting.

“We had to send all the helpers out, in the middle of the show, with head collars to try and catch these ponies.

“They had to use people’s cars as barricades.

“People were opening doors to stop the ponies going past, and there was a great big tailback on Chester High Road.

“We then ended up with seven ponies and didn’t know where to put them, as we were in the middle of the show.

“I think people thought they were ours and wondered what we were doing.”

The incident occurred at around 11.30am on Saturday, and the animals were finally safely secured by the sanctuary at around 12.20pm.

They are believed to have found their way out of a paddock at a farm further down the A540, and have now been sent back to their rightful home.