THE HAPPA horse rescue centre at Brockweir has been sold.

A letter to supporters from the Horses and Ponies Protection Association says the charity's board has "after much consideration" decided to close the centre at Gregory Farm.

In the statement HAPPA chairman Ken Cranage said: "We now have a number of potential purchasers that are keen to buy the site and hope to be in a position to accept and progress an offer within the next few weeks."

On Tuesday the farm was listed as "sold" on the website of estate agents David James and Partners.

Mr Cranage said the charity needed to focus on key areas of its work "and we believe this can be best achieved by consolidating our work and investing in our busiest area which is the north of England."

He said that all the horses that were at Gregory's Farm have been transferred to the Shores Hey centre near Burnley or rehomed as part of its loan scheme.

He stressed that no animals had been killed to enable the closure of Gregory's Farm.

Mr Cranage said they were "truly saddened" to have alienated some supporters with the decision to close the Brockweir centre but hoped that "over time you will accept our decision and reignite your support."

The decision was made after staff consultations said Mr Cranage.

He added: "Our biggest regret is that our loyal and hard-working staff have now been made redundant."