HORSE owners in west Wiltshire have been warned to be extra vigilant after thieves repeatedly targeted one stables over the last few weeks.

Tack rooms, stables and fields, where horses are kept, have been illegally accessed at The Stables, Eastrip Lane, in Colerne, during November.

The latest incident on Tuesday (December 1) resulted in ten electric fence posts being stolen and field gates opened - leaving the horses free to roam into fields where ragwort was present.

Other items taken in the night time visits include leather stirrups, gloves, horse medication and food.

The owners also found other tack deliberately damaged and covered in a highly sticky brown liquid which has either ruined the tack or will require it to be professionally cleaned.

The first incident happened between November 14 and 28 and the second incident happened overnight on Sunday November 29.

PC Angela Holden said: "We'd be interested to hear from anyone who may have seen anything suspicious in the farm area on those dates."

"The victim is very shaken by this targeting. Not only is equipment used for looking after horses extremely expensive to replace but for gates to be deliberately left open so that the animals could escape, or injure themselves by eating poisonous vegetation, is particularly cruel."If you can help with information, please call 101 and quote crime reference 54200119039 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.