THE horses that draw tourist-laden carriages around York have long followed nature's requirements. After all, it is the dung thing.

Now City Of York Council is considering a solution which would involve the horses wearing a "nappy".

So not only will these poor beasts be forced to suffer assorted straps, blinkers and mouth-bits, they will be expected to wear dung-filled "pants".

This hardly seems fair. Couldn't York's rose-growers help out by staking their claim?

Updated: 11:33 Thursday, June 26, 2003