UK heatwave forces four horse racing meetings to be abandoned

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Extreme weather warnings across southern England and parts of the Midlands have led to the cancellation of four horse racing meetings, the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) has confirmed.

Worcester’s National Hunt fixture, which was brought forward to Wednesday morning on Sunday in anticipation of high temperatures, will no longer proceed. Wednesday’s flat meetings at Salisbury and Kempton have also been called off, alongside the jumps fixture at Ffos Las.

Although Ffos Las falls just outside the official red warning zone, its abandonment was deemed necessary as participants would need to travel through high-risk areas to reach the course.

The BHA’s hot weather policy dictates that fixtures within a red warning zone must be abandoned, and horses are prohibited from travelling from or through such areas.

Worcester’s National Hunt has been cancelled (Getty)

Carlisle’s meeting in Cumbria, featuring the historic Carlisle Bell and Cumberland Plate, is currently still scheduled to go ahead.

The British public has been warned that temperatures could reach 40C in some areas of the country this week.

The UK Health Security Agency has issued red heat health alerts for the East Midlands, West Midlands, East of England, London, South East and South West.

The hot spell could lead to delays on the roads and railways, and emergency services are bracing to help those vulnerable to extreme heat.

The Met Office has said that there is “growing confidence” that this week may break the record for the hottest June temperature of 35.6C, which was last set in 1976 in Southampton.

The weather forecaster said that in this week’s heatwave, parts of England and Wales are likely to see temperatures exceed 37C in the shade and could even see them rise to 40C in some places.

The extreme heat, which has been very rare in the UK until now, will be accompanied by high humidity, and very warm and humid nights, which will make it hard for people to recover overnight, the Met Office said.

Following a warning being sent out for the start of the week, a second amber warning has now been issued for Wednesday and Thursday, covering similar areas as well as parts of northwest England, including Greater Manchester, Yorkshire and Cheshire and North Wales.

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