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Storm Callum: Horses rescued from flooded field in Wales

Animals found almost completely submerged in murky water after a river overflowed its banks

Gianluca Avagnina
Monday 24 December 2018 02:08 EST
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Horses rescued from drowning during Storm Callum

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Two horses have been saved by their owners in a flooded field during Storm Callum.

In a video posted on social media, the animals can be seen almost completely submerged in murky water after a river overflowed its banks and inundated surrounding land in Monmouthshire, southeast Wales.

Owner Gareth Silcox rushed to the rescue of his horses after receiving a phone call alerting him that the animals were in danger.

Mr Silcox, with the help of another man, swam across the flooded field to reach the animals and bring them back to safety.

The episode happened on Saturday, while Wales was experiencing the worst flooding in decades as a consequence of the passage of Storm Callum.

Becky Eardle, who lives nearby, witnessed the rescue. She told WalesOnline: “I used to keep horses on the same field, so when I woke up in the morning and saw the weather I thought I’d take a walk down there, to make sure the horses were okay.

“When I arrived, one of the horses was already on the trailer. He was shivering – probably because he’d been submerged in water for a while.

“The other horse had tried escaping and had become stuck in a wire fence.”

Ms Eardlle helped to secure the horses in the trailer. “Everyone was really relieved,” she said.

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