Cartmel, Chester and Haydock set to escape watering clampdown

Racecourses in north-west England will escape the clampdown when a hosepipe ban is introduced in the area as they have their own water supplies.

United Utilities is bringing in the ban from August 5 but Cartmel, Chester and Haydock, who all have fixtures next month, plan to continue watering as normal.

The ban, which covers “non-essential business activities as well as households”, has been brought in as a result of the longest heatwave since 1976, which weather forecasters predict is likely to continue well into next month.

However, Anthea Morshead, clerk of the course at Cartmel, which races on Saturday and Monday, said on Tuesday: “We work very closely with the environment agency and they came down a few days ago to look at our meter.

“We take water from the River Eea, and we’re currently within our limits. The same applies to our flow-rate. If the river levels drop below a certain point we can switch to a reservoir to take water, so we’re fine."

Cartmel: hosepipe ban unlikely to have an impact on watering of trackCredit: Michael Steele

She added: “It helped, of course, that we got ten millimetres of rain on Monday, so we’re not watering today. Having said that, of course, it’s been a very dry summer. We’ve only had five episodes of rain since we started racing in May.”

The Cartmel going is currently described as good, good to firm in places.

Chester, too, will not be affected by the hosepipe ban – the first in Britain for six years.

Andrew Morris, clerk of the course, said: “Although United Utilities supply lots of houses and businesses in the area, we don’t get our water from them.

“We get it from Dee Valley Water and, in any case, the water for irrigating the track comes from a bore hole. We’re fine.”

A similar situation applies at Haydock, with clerk of the course Kirkland Tellwright saying: “We’re on a bore hole; we don’t get mains water.

“We got 13 millimetres of rain last night but, by Haydock standards, this summer has been extraordinarily dry."

He continued: “Apart from some rain last Thursday and then the 13mm on Monday, we’ve had no significant amounts since the Friday before the Temple Stakes [May 26].

“It’s basically been dry from the end of May until the middle of July, which is most unlike a typical Haydock summer.”

The going for Haydock’s next meeting on Friday is described as good to firm, good in places.

The Carlisle area, including the racecourse, is exempt from the ban because supplies come from local sources that have not been as badly affected.