Horse owners are being advised to be on their guard after vandals let two horses out of their stables and attacked them.

Carly Boxall had her two horses let out of their stable yesterday morning.

Carly, 22, did not want to identify the stables in the Portslade area where she keeps her horses for fear of vandals targeting the animals again.

The vandals opened the sliding bolt on the stable and let out Bonnie, a 15-year-old mare, and her two-year-old foal Dylan.

The foal suffered some minor cuts and may have been hit with a broom, which was found broken at the scene.

Carly's fianc, David Rees-Avery, said: "People need to be aware that stables may be targeted.

"We don't know if it's just mindless vandals or what, but in the last three or four months we've heard of stables in the area which have been broken into."

Mr Rees-Avery also warned that one of the horses is liable to bite and vandals could be injured if they approach the horse.

The couple were informing police of the incident.