‘Sad but inevitable’ scenes as iconic British racecourse drowns after being battered by Storm Ashley
THESE were the 'sad but inevitable' scenes at an iconic British racecourse - after it was drowned as a result of Storm Ashley.
The helpless Worcester track was a sitting duck when the nearby River Severn burst its banks over the weekend.
Already prone to being waterlogged, the jumps venue looked more like an enormous lake, as this photo from Monday proved.
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The running rails were just about visible as they poked out above the water.
But the track itself was completely covered - a small slither of turf in the middle the only part still dry.
Water started cascading in last week - when bosses decided to pull the plug on their big season finale fixture set for this Wednesday.
One X account said it was 'sad but inevitable' that decision was made early, with the storm battering most parts of the UK.
Planes have struggled to land amid 80mph winds and there are more than 100 flood warnings in place.
While forecasters have warned Brits to be cautious of strong winds that could blow small debris and generate large waves along sea fronts.
Unfortunately flooding is nothing new for Worcester.
The venue was also flooded in 1998, 2007, 2008, 2013 and 2020 due to its location yards away from the fast-flowing river.
Incredibly, in 2014, two large pike were among a load of fish rescued from the track when the floodwater eventually subsided.
And loads of rowers and people in canoes have gone up and down the straight after it flooded in recent years.
The abandoned Worcester fixture has since been relocated Southwell on the original planned date.
Worcester is not the only track to feel the effects of Storm Ashley.
Newton Abbot in Devon was forced to cancel its fixture last Saturday due to a waterlogged track.
While, bizarrely, Fakenham abandoned its card after just one race last Friday owing to the 'sun being too bright'.
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