Beloved British racecourse sinks under extreme flooding as kayakers paddle down home straight

11 months ago 66

A BELOVED British racecourse sinks under extreme flooding as kayakers paddle down the home straight.

Worcester racecourse looked more like a lake as the popular jumps venue continued to be a sitting duck for the nearby River Severn.

Flooding at the racecourse as the River Severn bursts its banks in Worcester[/caption]

It’s easy to see why kayakers have taken to paddling down the home straight[/caption]

Worcester is prone to flooding given its close proximity to the River Severn[/caption]

Burst banks have seen the ‘stunning’ track become submerged – with the awful weather playing havoc with racing fixtures up and down the country.

Luckily Worcester does not host any meetings until May, when the track, situated in the city centre, should hopefully have recovered from the winter deluge.

And the kayakers – and swans – who paddled past the grandstand in the past few days will be replaced with top-class thoroughbreds and punters dressed up for a day out.

Until then, though, Worcester racecourse continues to be helpless against the effects of Storm Gerrit.

Unfortunately it is nothing new for those who work at the course.

The venue was also flooded in 1998, 2007, 2008, 2013 and 2020 due to its location yards away from the fast-flowing river.

Other tracks up and down the country have struggled during this wet winter.

Wednesday’s racing at Ffos Las in south Wales and the seven-race card at Huntingdon have already been abandoned.

Ffos Las had to scrap their meeting due to ‘exceptionally heavy rainfall’.

While Huntingdon said an ‘overnight flooding event’ had left ‘parts of the course underwater with waterlogged areas’.

Luckily things are looking up over the next few days, with trainers keen to get their horses out and running as the countdown to March’s Cheltenham Festival begins in earnest.

But one track that won’t be racing again in the near future is Southwell.

The popular venue has had to temporarily close to the public over safety fears – with ‘major’ work needed before it can reopen.

Bosses are in a race against time to get it all up and running again, with their huge Winter Derby at the end of February already looking like it will be behind closed doors.

Only trainers, owners, stable staff and the track’s 320 annual members are allowed in the Nottinghamshire venue as things stand.