'Investigation' needed as Newcastle is slammed again following cancellations

Newcastle, which came under fire on Saturday after cancelling its all-weather meeting, was slammed again on Sunday with one racing participant describing the episode as among his most upsetting in 50 years in the industry.

The track – also forced to cancel Sunday's fixture on its Tapeta surface and set to investigate the problems further – was criticised by jockeys and trainers, who raised concerns about the safety of the course.

With Cheltenham and Doncaster off, the Newcastle card was set to be ITV Racing's only live action on Saturday, but the decision was made to cancel around 20 minutes before the first race was due to start.