Horses unloaded in road after councillor stages sit-down protest at Musselburgh

A sit-down protest staged by a local councillor at Musselburgh on Tuesday resulted in some horses having to be unloaded on the main road.

Andy Forrest's demonstration on the access road to the owners' and trainers' car-park and the horsebox park caused delays for those arriving at the track.

Traffic had to back up, turn around and go in via the public car-park access but one box then broke down, forcing the trainer to unload his horses on Linkfield Road next to the course and causing further congestion on a morning when racing was touch and go and the meeting had to pass three inspections.

The councillor was protesting against racing traffic using a residential road, which is the only means of access when a one-way system is in place at major meetings.

It is a public road and Sarah Montgomery, Musselburgh's senior operations and commercial manager, said: "The racecourse has been actively engaged in discussions with residents of Hope Place and East Lothian Council regarding the continued use of this vital access to the track on racedays.

Arthur's Quay (left) was among the winners at Musselburgh on TuesdayCredit: John Grossick (racingpost.com/photos)

"This has included commissioning an independent traffic management survey which concluded that access via Hope Place ensures the racecourse traffic is dispersed in the best possible way on racedays to minimise congestion in Musselburgh.

"We have discussed the topic at length at our community forums and with our Safety Advisory Group."

The course and local residents have looked at various options and Montgomery said: "Several alternative routes have been explored, which involve the cooperation of various stakeholders, but unfortunately none has proved acceptable to all parties.

"We look forward to hearing from the council on which option they determine best serves the interests of the local community.

"As a responsible neighbour, we remain focused on continuing a 200-year tradition of holding race meetings at Musselburgh and will continue to engage with local stakeholders to reach agreement on what is best for Musselburgh."

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