Storm Babet: Floods leave Worcester and Southwell racecourses under water as fixture list hit by abandonments

Flooding from Storm Babet has completely inundated the racecourses at Worcester and Southwell and continues to have a significant effect on the fixture list.

Monday’s all-weather card at Southwell has been abandoned, as has Wednesday’s jumps competition at Worcester, while Monday’s Pontefract meeting has also been canceled due to flooding.

Last Friday’s meetings in Fakenham, Haydock and Uttoxeter were all called off, along with Saturday’s cards in Market Rasen and Stratford.

Worcester and Southwell are both waiting for water levels to recede before assessing the full extent of any damage to the track or other facilities.

Arena Racing Company (ARC), which runs both Worcester and Southwell, says Storm Babet has had “a significant impact on our business”.

Arc’s racing division director Mark Spincer said: “We are not used to flooding from the River Severn in Worcester but will wait to assess the impact on the ongoing construction of the new weighing room.

“At Southwell we will have to wait for water levels to drop significantly before we can determine the full impact on both the Tapeta and turf tracks.”

The next scheduled match at Southwell will take place on Thursday, October 26, while Worcester has just one more meeting this year on November 1.

Worcester was also flooded in January this year after heavy rainfall in the area.