'It was mayhem': Four people injured as runaway military horses bolt through central London

Four people have been taken to hospital after several military horses broke loose during a morning exercise and bolted through central London, colliding with vehicles.

- Caroline Davies

Astonished witnesses described "total mayhem" as the runaway horses, including one white horse drenched in blood, ran through the rush-hour streets.

Two horses were seen running in the road near Aldwych. One collided with a parked taxi outside the Clermont hotel on Buckingham Palace Road, smashing the windows of the Mercedes people carrier. One horse also crashed into a parked doubledecker tour bus, smashing the windscreen.

A group of seven horses and six soldiers from the Household Cavalry based at Hyde Park barracks were on an extended exercise in Belgravia yesterday at about 8.40am when chaos erupted.

Four service personnel were thrown from their horses and five of the animals got loose. It is understood that three soldiers were assessed in hospital for their injuries, which were not thought to be serious. All of the animals were eventually contained.

Two of the horses were caught near Limehouse tunnel, about five miles away. Pictures and videos shared on social media showed a black 4x4 with blue lights following two of the horses between Tower Bridge and the tunnel.

The BBC reported that the noise of builders in Belgravia might have initially spooked the animals.