TWO hairy guests have been lodging free of charge in the front rooms of a listed house in Old Town.

A mare and her foal have spent at least a week living in a lounge and dining room in Bath Road . . . to the great surprise of the building's owner.

Swindon police are trying to trace who the horses belong to but in the meantime the squatters are staying put.

The Grade 2 listed building was bought last year by builder Brian McDonough who planned to renovate it sometime during the next 12 months.

He said: "I was contacted by the man who lives next door who thought there were squatters in the house. So my son Andy went around there and found the horses.

"I can see the funny side but at the same time I am annoyed because whoever put them there broke in and caused damage to the house."

Andy, 32, could not believe his eyes when he entered the building. "I was expecting to find human squatters but then I saw a bale of hay and a horse sticking its head around a door-frame. It was a bit of a shock," he said.

The horses have been well-fed and watered, and are in good condition. Brian believes their owner broke in through a back window and kicked down the front door to gain access.

He is angry because one of the inside doors has been taken off its hinges and sawn in half to be used as stable doors between the lounge and dining room.

"Because it is a listed building I am not even allowed to changed cupboard handles without consent. I will have to get an exact replica of the door made which could cost up to £1,000," said Brian, who owns the company Lechlade Homes.

When Andy found the horses he contacted Swindon police who went to the house and phoned the RSPCA.

Police spokeswoman Alvina Kumar said: "The RSPCA said there were no signs of the horses being neglected so they did not take the animals away. We are now in the process of tracing the owner."