Bradford Industrial Museum’s former working horses have settled in to their new home in Norfolk.

Darcy and Murdoch, who were axed by Bradford Council to cut costs, were transferred from the Moorside Road museum in November to the Hillside Shire Horse Sanctuary in West Runton.

They are spending the winter grazing outside with the centre’s ten other shire horses and will take part in cultivating and harrowing demonstrations during the summer.

The sanctuary’s manager Anne Vincent said: “They are really friendly and every time someone goes out in the field they are always there to say hello. We are closed at the moment, but once we open again on April 1 they will be back in the stables and meeting and greeting everybody.

“They are really lovely and have settled in well and have made their own horsey friends, but are always together. They will never be split up and will always remain together.”

David Earl, 64, of Baildon, who used to take his grandchildren to see the horses at the museum, made a trip to the sanctuary while visiting relatives in Norfolk.

He said: “There was an open day and Christmas fair and I took them bags of carrots and sacks of food. There are numerous horses there so they seem to be settling in well.”

A petition containing more than 1,500 signatures was collected by campaigners in Bradford trying to save the horses.

But the authority, which has to make £80 million savings as a result of the spending review, revealed in August a decision to move the horses had been made.

Their relocation is expected to save £126,000 a year.