RACECOURSE bosses have thanked the local community for supporting the return of the sport to Musselburgh.

Musselburgh Racecourse saw racing resume behind closed doors at two events at the start of the month and held a third event recently.

The move involved introducing security measures around the course, which is on Common Good land, to protect the public, racecourse staff and visiting jockeys.

The land on which the racecourse operates is a popular walking spot for locals and dog walkers, with neighbouring lagoons.

Bill Farnsworth, racecourse general manager, said the course had received huge support from local residents as it sought to ensure fixtures could be held safely and meet health and safety standards.

Ahead of the inaugural meeting, the racecourse put in place a ‘Green Zone’ which ensured admission to the grounds was controlled and monitored to minimise the risk posed by Covid-19.

Safety barriers were erected at points around the course on Linkfield Road and stewards advised local residents where to access the course without encroaching on the Green Zone.

Other measures included all attendees completing a compulsory Covid-19 education module, an online health questionnaire, providing personal details and photo ID, and on arrival undergoing temperature checks by qualified medical staff.

Mr Farnsworth said the protocols had been agreed in advance with East Lothian Council’s Safety Advisory Group (SAG) and the British Horseracing Authority in order to meet safety guidelines introduced by the Scottish Government.

He said: “We understand the new procedures may have caused some inconvenience to local residents and we will refine the process when Covid-19 regulations are relaxed.

“We do appreciate the continued support of the local community in bringing racing back to Musselburgh.

“The purpose of the controlled measures is to ensure the safety of the participants on each race day and the safety of the local community, and we are acting on feedback received from local residents following the first two meetings.

“We have placed additional signage on Linkfield Road to ensure the public who use the links and lagoons for recreation and dog walking are fully aware of the access areas during future race days.

“Our aim is to provide as much public access to the grounds surrounding the racecourse as possible, whilst operating a safe sporting event.”