TWO horses were found wandering the city's streets yesterday morning.

Local residents getting up for work were left puzzled when they spotted the brown mares from their homes in St Thomas.

Concerned locals rang police as the horses wandered through streets including Woodville Close, Alphington Road and Cowick Lane.

Resident Jenna Richards, 28, of Woodville Close, said: "I woke up and heard the sound of horses.

"I live in a cul-de-sac and they got to the end of it and obviously couldn't go anywhere, so turned around and walked back up the road.

"I was not expecting to see that first thing in the morning.

"I left to drive to work and to see if I could follow the horses but they had disappeared.

"We rang the police and they told us they had received a few calls about it and that they had also been in Cowick Lane."

The horses were discovered to belong to Joyce and Jacky Newbury, of the Oaklands Riding School, in Balls Farm Road, near Alphington Road.

A spokesman for Devon & Cornwall Police said they first received a call about the horses at 6.40am.

He said: "We received reports of two horses loose in the road.

"There were reported as being in various locations including Alphington Road.

"We received the initial call at 6.40am saying the horses were in Cowick Lane. The owners turned up at 7.45am."

Jacky Newbury told the Echo the horses had escaped from a field.