'Numerous areas of the racecourse, including the track, remain under water' - Southwell loses four more meetings

Storm Babet has claimed another four meetings at Southwell, which is still under water and will not stage racing until November 15 at the earliest.

Monday evening's fixture had already been called off after extensive flooding from the River Greet adjacent to the track, and Arena Racing Company (Arc) has announced the cards scheduled for October 26 and 30 and for November 2 and 4 have all also been abandoned. Details of any potential relocation of those meetings will be revealed by the BHA in due course.

Mark Spincer, managing director of Arc's racing division, said: "Storm Babet has caused a significant amount of damage in the area, with the River Greet reaching record high levels and breaching the flood defences around the racecourse.

“Numerous areas of the racecourse, including the track, remain under water today and it is likely to be a few more days until we can fully understand the impact to both the turf and Tapeta tracks and any further damage to facilities. As and when we have a clearer picture, we will issue a further update with regards to ongoing fixtures scheduled from November 15 onwards.”

Southwell has been forced to close for lengthy spells twice in the last 16 years due to flooding caused by the River Greet. It was shut for five months in 2007 and three months in 2012-13, since when flood alleviation work has taken place.

Arc lost another card to the storm as it had to abandon Wednesday's meeting at Worcester, which was also left under water.

Bad weather continues to impact the racing programme, with Monday's meeting at Pontefract and Tuesday's fixture at Yarmouth also abandoned because of waterlogging.

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