A badly injured horse “thrown away like she was a piece of rubbish” had to be put down after she was found at a fly-tipping hotspot in Upminster on Monday.

Romford Recorder: Where the young horse was found, in Bramble Lane, Upminster (Picture: RSPCA)Where the young horse was found, in Bramble Lane, Upminster (Picture: RSPCA) (Image: Archant)

The abandoned piebald yearning horse was spotted by a member of the public in Bramble Lane at around 8.30am.

RSPCA inspector Adam Jones described the act - with resulted in the young animal being put to sleep - as “appalling and cowardly”.

He said: “This was an appalling and cowardly act, to throw away a badly injured horse like she was a piece of rubbish.

“This poor horse had an obvious injury, her leg was swollen and she wasn’t putting any weight on it.

“When the vet examined her he discovered her leg injury and sadly advised she was put to sleep to stop her suffering further.

“We need to find her heartless owner to simply dumped her rather than getting her to a vet for treatment.”

The horse is thought to have been dumped between 8am and 8.30am. She was found tied up with blue twine, standing on an isolated patch of scrubland at the edge of the road, surrounded by fly-tipped rubbish.

She was microchipped but investigations revealed the device was not registered to an owner.

Inspector Jones said: “Hopefully someone knows this horse or where she came from.

“I’d also like to hear from anybody who saw any horse boxes in the area around this time may also be able to give us a lead.

“It is shocking to think someone could be so heartless to just leave a clearly injured animal for someone else to find and deal with.

• Anyone with information is urged to call the RSPCA inspectorate appeal line on 0300 123 8018 and leave a message for inspector Adam Jones.