Michael Sheils McNamee
Live reporter, Limehouse

Near to where a roadblock had been in place, there were signs of where horses had been retrieved. On the ground outside Gordon House, at the junction of Glamis Road and the Highway, there was a large patch of blood and horse manure.

Inside Gordon House, which overlooks the junction where the horses were retrieved, some residents were surprised to learn what had happened.

One man had been working from home and heard horses outside but said they did not sound like they were in distress. A woman and her granddaughter told the BBC they saw emergency services arrive, but the horses seemed fairly calm.

The runaway horses were spotted at many well-known locations in central London.

They were first seen running down Lower Belgrave Street near Buckingham Palace before losing their riders.

One was spotted at Victoria Station, where there are reports of a horse colliding with a tour bus. Other horses ran along the Strand and then east towards Limehouse, where the Army confirmed two were recovered.

We've started to put together a picture of how today's events played out.

The Army told the BBC a group of horses and riders from the Household Cavalry were on an extended exercise ahead of a Major General's Inspection - which was due to take place tomorrow in Hyde Park.

Every military unit taking part in the King's birthday parade must pass a Major General's Inspection in advance.

The group included six soldiers and seven horses.

During the exercise, the horses were spooked by noise from nearby building works. Four soldiers were thrown from their saddles, and five horses ran loose through London.

Some of the horses collided with traffic and at least two of them appear to have been injured.

Paramedics attended incidents in three locations across London, and four people were taken to hospital, the ambulance service says.

All five horses were then recovered and returned to a military base. They're now being assessed by a vet.

We'll keep you updated with anything else we learn.

We know that a number of people and horses are injured after five horses unseated their riders and charged through the streets of London this morning.

Horses are believed to have collided with several vehicles as they ran.

Image source, PA Media

Image source, PA Media

The Army spokesman also told us that four soldiers were dismounted after the horses were spooked while being exercised in Belgravia.

All the soldiers are being assessed for possible injuries.

It might look like there's a slight discrepancy here. Five horses ran loose, while only four soldiers fell from their saddles. This is because one soldier was responsible for two of the horses, the spokesman has said.

An Army spokesman has just told the BBC that five Household Cavalry horses were running loose in London earlier today.

All five horses have since been recovered. Two appear to be injured, but all of them are being assessed by a vet.

It's unclear at this stage how serious the injuries are.

A taxi driver waiting outside the Clermont Hotel in Buckingham Palace Road had the windows of his car smashed after a horse collided with his Mercedes people carrier.

The driver of the Mercedes, Faraz, spoke to LBC. He said he felt something smash into his car and saw three or four horses near the vehicle.

He said one member of military personnel had been thrown off and injured.

Here's a map of the different locations the horses - who have now all been recovered - were spotted at.

Some of them are believed to have run from near Buckingham Palace in central London to Limehouse in the east of the city, a distance of several miles.

The BBC understands that the noise of builders moving concrete in Belgravia caused horses from the Household Cavalry to bolt and unseat their riders while exercising this morning.

The soldiers are now being assessed and the horses are being looked after by a vet.

Image source, BBC News

Earlier, one of the horses collided with a parked tour bus - our reporter Tony Bonsignore took this picture, and you can read what he saw here.

Big Bus Tours told the Telegraph:

“We confirm that one of our stationary buses sustained damage this morning during an incident involving horses from the Household Cavalry. One of the horses ran into the front of our parked vehicle.

“Fortunately, none of our team members were injured. Our primary concern lies with the welfare of the riders and animals involved in the incident.

“We are currently coordinating closely with Emergency Services to assist in any way possible. At this stage, we have no further comments to provide.”

We're now hearing from people who saw the incidents unfold.

Megan Morra was walking to work at 8:35 this morning when she saw a horse covered in blood.

Between Buckingham Palace and Victoria Station she saw police officers "running through the street", and another walking a "very bloody" black horse down the path. She says the horse "appeared to have a head injury".

“There was a lot of blood," she says. “I was a bit distressed to be honest, looking at the poor horse."

She added: “At the time I was really confused but it felt like something chaotic was happening as there were police officers or potentially security guards sprinting down the middle of Buckingham Palace Road.

“I assumed there had been some sort of accident or vehicle collision. There’s a lot of traffic on that road at that time.

“I kept walking along towards St James Park and the trail of blood turned and went that way so I assume it happened right on The Mall."

Image source, PA Media

There are many unanswered questions about this incident, but here are a few of the things we're still trying to find out:

1. How did the horses get loose?

2. How many were there?

3. How were they caught?

4. What injuries do they have?

5. How many people were hurt?

We're slowly piecing it all together, and would like to hear your story if you saw the horses this morning.

You can email us at haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk

Black cab driver Robbie told BBC Radio London he narrowly avoided being hit by the horses.

He said: "I was just outside Buckingham Palace on the Mall and heard loads of galloping and looked behind and there were about three or four horses.

"Two of them were sprinting up towards Trafalgar Square and there was a white one covered in blood as well.

"I looked in the rear mirror and saw them coming right up behind me, and at the time I had two punters in the back so I was worried about them," he added.

"Luckily they swerved towards the middle of the road and carried on, but they were going at some speed."

He continued: "Nobody knew what was going on because there wasn't any police presence or anyone chasing the horses.

"We knew something had happened because they both had saddle gear on.

"I was worried about the horse because it looked like it was injured quite badly."

We've just heard more from the London Ambulance Service.

It says paramedics treated patients with horse-related injuries in three different London locations: Buckingham Palace Road, Belgrave Square, and the junction between Chancery Lane and Fleet Street.

All three incidents took place within ten minutes - between 8:25am and 8:35am.

Four patients were treated at the scene and taken to hospital.

The Met Police has now also confirmed that all of the horses have been recovered.

It didn't say how many horses that was, but it confirmed there are no more running loose.

According to the Army spokesperson: "A number of military working horses became loose during routine exercise this morning.

"All of the horses have now been recovered and returned to camp.

"A number of personnel and horses have been injured and are receiving the appropriate medical attention."

Photos from central London show damage and confusion left in the path of several horses which have been running wildly through the city.

One image shows a badly damaged vehicle outside the Clermont hotel on Buckingham Palace Road, and the other shows emergency services gathered nearby.

City of London Police say two of the escaped horses have been contained, and they are waiting for an Army horse box to collect the animals and take them to a vet.

In a statement, police said: "At around 8.40am, we were called about horses that had become loose and were travelling through the City.

"Our officers have contained two horses on the Highway near Limehouse.

"We're waiting for an Army horse box to collect the horses and transport them to veterinary care."

We don't know when the horses broke from their riders, assuming they all originally had riders, but we know they were seen at Buckingham Palace at around 8.30am.

Image source, Getty Images

We also know two horses were brought under control in Limehouse - nearly 5 miles east along the Thames.

Image source, Getty Images

We're working on a map to show you the route they are believed to have taken. We'll have that for you shortly.

Speaking to BBC Radio London earlier, Sean - a black cab driver in Blackfriars - described seeing three horses gallop towards Buckingham Palace.

"It sounded like a car crash, one was possible injured," he said. "Maybe that is why there are only two being seen.

"I pulled out of Buckingham Palace Road, there one of the riders was on the road on his back being tended to.

"There was a Mercedes Vito parked outside the Grosvenor Hotel with its side smashed in and covered in blood.

"All the windows were smashed so I am guessing the white horse has hit that running into it."