Two horses have died after being hit by vehicles on the A465 in the midst of a wildfire which has been burning since last Saturday.

Police confirmed they were called to reports of a serious crash on the Heads of the Valleys Road near Brynmawr just after 10.30pm on Saturday night, involving two vehicles.

Both drivers were taken to hospital as a precaution as the nearby blaze made the rescue effort more challenging,but the horses were pronounced dead at the scene.

A spokesperson for Gwent Police said, “We received a report of a road traffic collision on the A465, heading towards Brynmawr, at around 10:35pm. The collision involved two cars and two horses. The driver of both vehicles went to hospital as a precaution. Two horses died at the scene.”

Officers from Gwent Police attended, and were supported by personnel from South Wales Fire and Rescue Service, who were already battling the wildfire on open land at the time of the incident.

The crash led to the closure of the A465 between Tredegar and Ebbw Vale for several hours, as emergency services worked to clear the road and ensure the safety of the public, while battling the fire at the same time.

The A465 was eventually reopened at roughly 3am on Monday (August 11), but the situation remains under review with police on standby to close the road again in the event that the safety of motorists is put at risk once again.

It is unclear whether the horses ended up on the road as a direct result of the nearby fire, but police have launched an investigation to find out why they were on the carriageway at the time.

Drivers using the route, which was only completed in its entirety earlier this year, to take extra care as they pass through.