'Bored' vandals wreak havoc at Redcar and leave course with a hefty repair bill

Redcar racecourse was left facing an extensive job of repair and a bill for around £1,000 after vandals broke in overnight.

Around two furlongs of safety rail at the top of the straight was damaged and the track has asked that anyone with information about the incident contact Cleveland police.

"They've caused chaos, throwing it all about," general manager Amy Fair said on Wednesday. "And the rail takes some breaking, it's designed to stop horses crashing through it.

"We can only assume it's bored people in the area. We've had the odd bit of vandalism in the past because we're an open site in the middle of town but nothing like this. The whole site is fenced and we now have security on site.

"We're just very grateful we're not racing this week because we've had to order supplies to repair the damage and it's a really labour-intensive job, there's no snazzy machine that puts the rail back, it all has to be done by hand.

Amy Fair: 'It's a job you don't want to have to do and money you don't want to have to spend'Credit: David Carr

"It's a job you don't want to have to do and money you don't want to have to spend. We're working on it costing us about £1,000 – it's expensive kit, you can't get it from your local Tool Station."

Redcar raced behind closed doors three times in June but its next meeting is not until July 27.

"It's frustrating," Fair added. "Life is tough enough as it is. We've been working hard in difficult conditions, you take pride in your racecourse and when someone vandalises it it's hard not to take it personally.

"And I really feel for our track manager Stephen Berry. The legs had been thrown into bushes and he clambered down to get them, fell over and cracked the back of his head and ended up in hospital this morning. That was adding injury to insult."

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