Police horses get saddlebag ads

The advertising will appear on saddlebags and boxes

Police horses in Nottinghamshire will be saddled with advertising in a move to raise money.

Nottinghamshire police is one of only 16 forces in England and Wales that still has a mounted division.

The horses are sent all over the country to police events such as football matches and the Lord Mayor of London's parade.

The police authority has decided to allow companies to put advertising on horseboxes and logos on saddlecloths.

'No ice creams'

Councillor John Clarke, chairman of the police authority, said: "This is a way the local community can help out by getting involved with sponsoring the horse division.

"It will be looked at by the lawyers to make sure it is ethically right - but we won't go down the road of putting flashy lights on policemen's helmets or selling ice creams."

In 2004 the police authority introduced an Adopt A Police Horse Scheme inviting primary schools across the county to adopt their own police horse.

To date more than 70 schools have taken up the offer, which includes visits from the mounted division.

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