Man arrested for punching police horse after England lost World Cup semi-final clash against Croatia

A man has been arrested after he punched a police horse following England’s heartbreaking World Cup exit.

Police horses Quantock and Jubilee were out with Avon and Somerset police in Weston-super-Mare on patrol during and after the game.

After dealing with a disorder at the end of the match, a man assaulted a police constable and punched Quantock.

The Avon and Somerset police horse Twitter account confirmed the horse was not hurt and posted a picture of the two horses grazing in the paddock the following morning.

But the man was arrested for assault and criminal damage.

The tweet said: ‘Also arrested criminal damage for punching Quantock #NeverAcceptable to assault officers or animals! #QuantockisnotHurt.’

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Despite the incident, ugly scenes which followed England’s win over Sweden at the World Cup were not repeated after the Three Lions’ defeat to Croatia.

Police were hoping to avoid a second serving of the alcohol-fuelled offending at the weekend when over-excited fans clambered over cars, buses and emergency vehicles.

The National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) said 387 football-related incidents were recorded at the weekend, mostly alcohol-related disorder.

But Wednesday evening passed more peacefully with police saying the vast majority of fans left pubs and parks ‘with their heads held high and without issue’.

The Metropolitan Police’s Football Unit said there were a ‘small number of incidents and arrests’ and thanked people for ‘making our job tonight easier’.