Horse dies after Bonfire Night scare in Shropshire

The three-year-old filly was put to sleep suffering from a broken spine

The owners of a horse say they are heartbroken by her death after she was spooked on Bonfire Night.

Emma James, from Broseley, Shropshire, said the filly, named Flashy, fractured her spine in the panic, and was put to sleep by vets.

The animal had trashed her paddock based nearby, and was found "paralysed with fear", Mrs James added.

Following their loss, the James family is backing an RSPCA campaign to reduce fireworks' noise levels.

They discovered the frightened, three-year-old chestnut "collapsed" in mud the day after Bonfire Night.

"My 14-year-old daughter, Lola, sat and cradled her in the mud for hours until a vet arrived and we made the heartbreaking decision to have her put to sleep," Mrs James said.

"Examinations later revealed that she'd fractured her spine and wouldn't have been able to be saved.

"Flashy meant so much to us, it was heartbreaking to lose her like this."

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RSPCA welfare expert Dr Mark Kennedy said fireworks could be "extremely stressful and frightening" for many animals.

"All too often we hear heartbreaking stories of animals like Flashy who seriously injure themselves in a blind panic after being spooked by fireworks."

The RSPCA said it received more than 80 reports of firework incidents involving animals in the past two weeks, with some deliberately attacked.

The charity's #BangOutOfOrder campaign is calling for the use and sale of fireworks to be restricted, as well as a reduction in the maximum permitted noise level.

Backing the campaign, Mrs James said: "I am determined that my daughter's horse Flashy will be remembered, honoured and her death will not be in vain."