THREE Shetland pony foals taken from a field were found in a town centre more than 20 miles away.

All three were taken from a field in Kimpton over the course of 24 hours.

Following an internet campaign the horses were found abandoned in Dunstable High Street in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Chris Bundy discovered the first three-week-old, a Helawi Shetland, had been taken on Friday after his girlfriend, Liz White, returned from picking up Mr Bundy’s two boys from school.

“We just knew straight away, the mum’s going mad and the foal was not standing on the boundary of the field,” said Mr Bundy, 48.

“This was her first foal and she didn’t know what was going on, she didn’t have a clue, she was just calling and calling.”

On Saturday afternoon Mr Bundy left the Kimpton Bottom field to run an errand for his sons. When he returned, two more ponies had gone.

After the first theft, the couple – who breed horses on a small scale – put warnings online in an attempt to find the stolen pony.

It appeared to work, with Mr Bundy receiving a call on Sunday from the police telling him three ponies had been found.

He travelled to Dunstable and brought the horses back.

“I was absolutely over the moon, all day I was just thanking people on Facebook,” he said.

“When the ponies came back, the mares went straight over to them.”

Herts Police are appealing for information on the thefts. If you saw anything suspicious, call the non-emergency number 101.