More violence at the track — this time at Hexham
RACEGOERS were kicked out of Hexham on Saturday after a fight broke out in yet another case of violence at racecourses. A group of young men were photographed trading blows at the traditionally quiet Northumberland track. There were reports on social media that more than 20 people were fighting in the car park. One person who claimed to have seen a video of the incident wrote that it was a ‘20-a-side free for all, no police in sight’. Another said: ‘Great day at Hexham races almost spoilt by the fight in the car park, awful.’ Robert Whitelock, chief executive of Hexham, said the skirmish on the racecourse itself was ‘minor’, but told
Sportsmail: ‘Nobody should have to put up with that. If we have photographs and we can identify the people they will not be allowed back on the racecourse.’ Explaining the security measures that were in place for the meeting, which attracted 2,500 people, Whitelock added: ‘There were no police on site because we haven’t needed police at the races before. Because of the incidents that have happened at higher-profile meetings we did employ extra security for the day.’ Several people who were at Hexham have linked the fights to what they believed to be evidence of drug-taking. However, Whitelock said: ‘Our security team were briefed about drugs, and we kept an eye on the toilets. We have no evidence of drug-taking on the racecourse.’ A spokesperson for the Racecourse Association said: ‘We are disappointed that, of the 2,500 people attending Hexham on Saturday, a small number misbehaved.’ Meanwhile, Surrey Police have said that nine people were arrested during the two-day Derby meeting at Epsom, for a combination of offences including alcohol, drugs and anti-social behaviour. At Musselburgh on Saturday, a racegoer was caught taking three grams of cocaine into the course.