Four neglected horses have found a new home with comedian John Bishop.

Bishop and his wife, Melanie, supported World Horse Welfare's Rehome a Horse Month by agreeing to take Dora, Amara, Indie and Mable.

The Liverpudlian star said: "Melanie and I share a love of animals of all shapes and sizes and foster the belief that there are so many animals who have been neglected or abused that rehoming is the only logical option.

"It makes no sense to us why anyone would breed foals, puppies or even goldfish when there are so many deserving animals who need good homes.

"I would encourage anyone who is in a position to have any animal to look at rehoming before buying. Growing up I never thought I would have a field full of horses, but owning them isn't rocket science - you just need a bit of common sense and a good sense of humour. They're strong-willed, unpredictable and impulsive so it's a lot like bringing up children."

The couple already have a menagerie of rescue pets at their home in Cheshire which includes two English bull terriers, Bilko and Tigger, as well as pot-bellied pig Milo.

The horses had been cared for at the charity's Penny Farm Rescue and Rehoming Centre in Blackpool.

Mable and Amara arrived at the centre severely underweight, Dora had been chained to a fence with no access to food or water and Indie was spotted by a member of the public suffering from open wounds.

World Horse Welfare chief executive Tony Tyler said: "We need more rehomers just like Melanie and John. World Horse Welfare has so many wonderful horses and ponies in need of good homes, and there are so many advantages to rehoming over buying.

"Melanie has approached the whole experience with a very open mind and a great sense of humour which means four of our once-abused horses have a wonderful future ahead of them. It's particularly lovely when we can rehome our horses together, especially to a family who are such strong advocates for rehoming once-abused animals."