Horses attacked a woman as she was walking across a public footpath.

Victoria Ginsburg, 45, Park Crescent was walking from Watling Street to Aldenham Reservoir with her husband on Sunday evening, when she was bitten by two horses.

As they were on the public footpath there were eight to 10 horses standing obstructing the way.

She ran away after they started to push her with their heads but they pursued her, biting her three times and bruising her, only leaving Mrs Ginsburg when she was in a patch of nettles.

The mother of four needed to attend Accident and Emergency at Barnet General Hospital that night to get a Tetanus jab and a prescription of anti-biotics.

On reporting the issue this week to the council, she was advised initially that this would not be something Hertfordshire County Council would be responsible for, and was subsequently passed to the Highways Department and Land Registry before being referred back to the council.

She said: “I am fine, my injuries are minor, but my kids use this path if I was alone and had been trampled this could have been a serious issue.

“At A&E everyone said that they had never heard anything like it before, but people need to be aware of this issue and currently the only sign up says ‘horses grazing, please shut the gate’.

“In a magazine from the council there is an article advising us to take advantage of the local amenities, but when an accident happens on public land no one wants to take responsibility.

Press Officer for Hertfordshire County Council Simon Hoggett said: “We have been made aware of this incident and have been in contact with the injured party.

“Landowners are obliged to ensure the safety of the public when using these public highways. We are investigating the incident and will be contacting the landowner.”