A number of Household Cavalry horses have escaped with two seen running around central London, one of which appeared to be covered in blood.

The animals, wearing saddles and bridles, were seen running on the road near Aldwych on Wednesday morning.

Pictures and videos of the horses were shared on social media, one of which showed a black 4×4 with blue lights following the animals.

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: “We are aware of a number of horses on the loose in central London.

“We are working with colleagues in the Army to locate them.”

Blood-covered horses run loose in Central London

The incident has seen Buckingham Palace Road closed as officials handle the situation.

An area has been cordoned off with a blue tarpaulin tent in place while an ambulance crew help an injured serviceman.

The London Fire Brigade confirmed that one person was being treated while one of the horses had been "secured".

As a spokesperson for LFB said: "Firefighters were called at 08:31 BST to reports of vehicles in collision with horses in the area of Victoria Station.

"Crews are currently working alongside the London Ambulance Service at the scene of a collision between a taxi and a horse."

ITV Editor Daniel Hewitt caught the incident, sharing a video of the horses to X, formally Twitter.

In the video the two horses are seen running towards oncoming traffic with one running into a black cab.

Speaking to The Telegraph, one witness of the incident shared that they saw a "soldier falling down into the street." 

 

Times Series: A black horse collides with a London Taxi after bolting down the A4 near Aldwych, central LondonA black horse collides with a London Taxi after bolting down the A4 near Aldwych, central London (Image: PA)

As Bashir Aden, 48, a construction worker added: "I saw a soldier falling down into the street after the horse ran into a car. One of my colleagues called the police.

“The man hit the floor hard, he was screaming in pain. You could see blood all over the parked car.

“The horses come down this route every day, but today the horse looked stressed or panicked. I saw the horse run away after it hit a bus. People were screaming and running all over.”

London Ambulance Service issues statement amid loose horses in London

Times Series: A white horse on the loose bolts through the streets of London near Aldwych. A white horse on the loose bolts through the streets of London near Aldwych. (Image: PA)

Following the incident, the London Ambulance Service has issued a statement on the incident.

As a spokesperson said: "We were called at 8:25am today (April 24) to reports of a person being thrown from a horse on Buckingham Palace Road, SW1W.

“We sent resources to the scene including ambulance crews, a paramedic in a fast response car, and an incident response officer.

“Our first paramedic was on the scene in five minutes.

“The incident is still ongoing and we are working with our emergency services partners.”

Update as two escaped horses caught in London

Two escaped horses have now been caught in London, the City of London Police have confirmed.

Sharing: "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.”