LONDON: A number of horses are loose in central London, with the army called in to help locate them, police in the British capital said on Wednesday.

Footage posted by social media users showed a saddled white horse covered in blood running through the street alongside a black one.

"We are aware of a number of horses that are currently loose in central London and are working with colleagues, including the Army, to locate them," the Westminster branch of London's police said on X.

City of London Police, the force in charge of the capital's financial district, said officers had contained two horses and were preparing to transport them to veterinary care.

The Telegraph newspaper reported that five cavalry horses had run loose while exercising at Horse Guards Parade, the ceremonial parade ground in Westminster, close to Buckingham Palace and the Whitehall government district. (Reporting by Sachin Ravikumar; editing by Sarah Young)