Merseyside Police is appealing for information following an incident in Thingwall on Saturday at around 2:50pm.

Two teenage girls were out on a horse ride on Barnston Road, near the Bassett Hound pub, when one of their horses became spooked. The spooked horse reportedly bolted into a post, causing the rider to fall off. Sadly, the horse died as a result of its injuries.

During the incident, one of the girls moved her horse in the middle of the road, in an attempt to control the spooked horse which in turn had frightened her horse. It was reported that she signalled to traffic approaching her to stop, but a silver Volkswagen car allegedly sped past, causing her horse to bolt, her to be thrown off and the horse to sustain critical injuries, from which it is now recovering following surgery.

The two girls suffered minor injuries.

Inspector Stuart McIver said, "This was a tragic incident involving the death of one horse and the serious injury of another. We are keen to speak with anyone who was in the Barnston Road area on Saturday who may have witnessed the incident and could have useful phone, dashcam footage or private CCTV.

"We are particularly keen to speak with the driver of a silver Volkswagen who is reported to have passed the girls.

"I would like to remind all motorists to be careful around horse riders, particularly when overtaking. As it states in the Highway Code, you should always pass horses wide and slowly, look out for riders' signals, heed riders' requests to slow down or stop and treat all horses as a potential hazard. Observing these rules at all times will make our roads safer for everyone and prevent avoidable accidents."

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact Merseyside Police via DM on Twitter @MerPolCC, 'Merseyside Police Contact Centre' on Facebook or call 101 with reference number 21000033484.