A concerned carriage driver claims the Government vet is failing to do his job by allowing six horses to be mistreated without taking any action against their owner.

Dee Charles said her husband complained to vet Dr. Jonathan Nisbett last Friday after seeing the condition of the six animals at a stables in St.

George's.

And Mrs. Charles claims that Dr. Nisbett admitted that he had already seen the horses "two or three weeks earlier'' but had taken no action because he could not get in touch with the animals' owner.

Mrs. Charles believes that inspectors should have taken the horses in within 48 hours if the owner, Jonathan DeShields, failed to contact them.

"During all this time they've been suffering, just because they can't get in touch with the owner,'' Mrs. Charles said.

"I just don't think the Government vet is doing his job. I know for a fact that, as soon as he saw them he could leave a notice saying that, unless Mr.

DeShields contacts them within 48 hours, they will take the animals away.

"He said that he saw them two or three weeks ago and they didn't seem that bad. But these animals are starving and they haven't lost all that weight in a few weeks.

"He said that people can't see the horses and they're way down in St.

George's. Just because they're out of sight shouldn't mean that they're out of mind. He should be checking up on them, that's his job. It's irresponsible.'' Last night Dr. Nisbett could not be contacted to discuss the case.

But Society for the Protection of Animals inspector Louis Ray confirmed that the matter was being investigated, although he refused to comment further.

And SPCA shelter chairman Andrew Madeiros confirmed that a warrant to seize the animals could be issued if they were suffering.

"Not being able to contact the owner is not good enough reason to do nothing.

It seems that everything is in limbo at the moment and these poor horses are stuck in the middle.

"While our legislation in animal control areas is limited, if there is a problem you can get a warrant out. That's something we have done before.

"People are willing to help out if they know there's a problem. These horses could be looked after by other stables.

"Island wide we have problems and one of the main areas I have concerns about is the licensing of stables -- it's a weak link.

"If someone has a licence and their horses are not in a bad shape there's nothing we can do even if some of these horses are tied to a tree all day.

"But if it's a cruelty issue then we are normally informed and steps can be taken.'' Skin and bone: Ribs are evident in this photo, taken last week, of one of the six `malnourished' horses in St. George's.