. The 50-metre high equine statue, planned near a main highway into London from ferry ports and the Channel Tunnel, is set to join Stonehenge, the London Eye and Wembley Stadium on the list of Britain's most distracting monuments.

"Spotting famous landmarks has long been a fun part of road trips," said Mike Pickard of the insurance company which carried out the survey of eye-catching structures.

"But this can also lead drivers to distraction as they take their eyes away from the road, slow down or brake suddenly. Motorists should keep their eyes on the road at all times," he added.

The white horse, designed by former Turner Prize winner Mark Wallinger, won a £2-million public art commission in southeast England in February

It is to be constructed near to the A2 trunk road at Ebbsfleet in Kent, where there is also a major terminal for high-speed trains coming from France and elsewhere to London.

Work is planned to begin on the sculpture, dubbed "The Angel of the South" in reference to the "Angel of the North" near Newcastle in northeastern England, in about a year.

But nearly half of the 1000 motorists surveyed said large monuments should not be constructed near roads at all.

The poll showed 66 percent of drivers admitted to being distracted by landmarks while 12 percent had even been involved in accidents. More than a quarter had had to brake suddenly when passing a landmark

The top 10 most distracting landmarks already in existence are:

1. Stonehenge
2. Angel of the North
3. London Eye
4. Windsor Castle
5. Celtic Chalk Figures, Dorset
6. Wembley Stadium
7. Hadrian's Wall, Northumberland
8. Long Man of Wilmington, Sussex
9. Humber Bridge, Hull
10. Wallace Monument, Stirling, Scotland

AFP