A man seen sexually assaulting two horses as they grazed at an animal sanctuary is being hunted by police.

Children enjoying the summer sun with their families during the school holidays were just yards away when the pervert struck.

He was seen carrying out the attacks by a stunned dog walker and the horses' owner was alerted.

Details of the assaults are too shocking to be published.

The culprit had wandered into a field at the stables of Retreat Horse Rescue in Portslade.

Annie Taylor, who runs the centre with her husband Terry, was so disgusted and upset by the attack that she called the police.

She said: "You have to be pretty sick to do this sort of thing. I think this is quite serious because there were children around. The police need to look into it.

"The two horses he went for were placid. One was a gelding, the other a mare, but he could have been attacked if he'd gone for the Arab or one of the youngsters.

"When the dog walker phoned here I answered but he said he wanted to talk to my husband. He spoke to me first of all but didn't want to discuss it with me because of what he saw the man doing."

The witness, who had been visiting his mother in the village, took a detailed description of the attacker who was said to have been dressed in a distinctive manner. The details have been passed to police.

He contacted Mrs Taylor three days later after tracing her phone number and, after receiving the call, her husband and daughter searched Portslade village with the description but the offender could not be found.

Mrs Taylor, who started the sanctuary in 1992 which relies upon donations and fund-raising to meet running costs, said she received another report of the same man climbing over a wall at the stables six days later.

It is not known if he managed to attack the horses again but police have once again been informed.

A spokesman for Sussex Police said the man would be prosecuted for animal cruelty if arrested.