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Security at Aintree has been stepped up before the three-day Randox Health Grand National meeting after vandals gained access to the course, causing superficial damage to the track.
A car was reported to have driven through the security gates at 6.45am on Saturday, before leaving tyre marks in the turf and damaging railings near Melling Road. The worst of the damage is after the 12th fence.
Measures have been taken to ensure there is no repeat before Saturday's £1 million race and a spokesman for the track said: “We’re very disappointed this occurred in the build-up.
"This is now a police matter so there’s not much we can say on the specifics of what occurred, but some superficial damage was done to a small area of the course. Our ground staff team will rectify so it should have no impact on the meeting."
No arrests have been made yet.
Following a period of public consultation, a Space Protection Order has been introduced to help curb ticket touting around the course perimeter.
The track is also working with specialists to ensure drones do not cause any disruption.
DRONES
The use of drones at racecourses has been thrown into focus in recent months amid reports they are being increasingly used to film races, with said pictures relayed to in-running punters who can use them to gain a significant advantage over those using delayed pictures in their own homes.
They also pose a significant risk to safety, as you may recall, bringing Gatwick and Heathrow airports to a standstill in December.
