Over the next three days more than 10,000 bottles of Prosecco are set to be quaffed at the racecourse with revellers expected to buy 160,000 rounds of drinks as they enjoy the races
Drones have been banned from flying over Aintree racecourse during the Grand National festival which begins tomorrow amid fears they could be used to give gamblers an advantage.
A temporary flight restriction zone is being enforced by police above the Merseyside course from 7am Thursday until 7pm on Saturday. It comes amid fears that images from drones could be used to give gamblers placing “in play” bets an unfair advantage by streaming pictures a few seconds ahead of TV broadcasters. The no-fly zone is part of a range of measures put in place by police for the racing festival, which is attended by more than 150,000 people.
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Two years ago, the famous steeplechase, held on Saturday afternoon, was delayed after animal rights protesters gained access to the course. Chief Inspector Iain Wyke, Merseyside Police’s Grand National Festival event commander, said: “As always, our policing plans for the Grand National Festival are extensive and take into consideration land, sea and air.
“Specialist resources, made up of Merseyside Police officers and officers from regional and national teams, including air support, will be in place for the duration of the event and we are also working with partners including the local authority, other emergency services, and businesses in the community to ensure this is a safe and secure event.”
The airspace restriction will make it an offence for any unmanned aircraft to fly below 2,000 feet above sea level in the designated area between 7am on Thursday and 7pm on Saturday without the explicit permission of Merseyside Police. Drone users flying without permission could be prosecuted and have their equipment seized and confiscated.
Over the next three days more than 10,000 bottles of Prosecco are set to be quaffed at the racecourse with revellers expected to buy 160,000 rounds of drinks. And the curse of ‘Raintree’s’ seasonal April showers are forecast to give way to three days of sunshine, with bookies already placing 6/4 odds on this year’s ‘Tanned National’ being the hottest day of the year so far.
The Met Office is predicting glorious sunshine all weekend over Aintree, reaching highs of 20C for Ladies Day on Friday. Alex Apati of Ladbrokes said: “Saturday is all about Bets and BBQs for Brits, who look set to bask in record-breaking temperatures for the year so far.”
The Met Office has warned Brits to ‘protect yourselves’ as temperatures are set to soar to 22C this week in the hottest day of the year so far. The forecaster has predicted highs of a sizzling 22C in parts of the UK on Thursday, which will make it the hottest day of 2025 so far.
As we move into April, the Met Office has told Brits they can expect “clear skies and warm sunshine for many“, while coastal areas will see slightly cooler temperatures due to a “breeze and cold seas”. The Met Office’s Chief Meteorologist, Paul Gundersen, said: “The UK will have a sunny start to April this week. Temperatures will slowly build, with highes of 21 – 22C possible by Thursday. Other than a small chance of some light rain grazing the far southwest of England it will be a dry week too.
“At this time of the year, we do start to see higher UV levels, so if you are outside enjoying the sunshine do think about protecting yourself from the sun as even in April it is strong enough to burn your skin.” According to the Met Office, “UV levels are starting to reach moderate levels, where protection is needed to prevent your skin from burning.”
Looking ahead to the end of the week and into the weekend, the Met Office has forecasted that “high pressure will continue to persist… with sunny conditions and warm temperatures in the west of the UK”. Met Office Deputy Chief Meteorologist, Mike Silverstone, said: “As the area of high pressure moves slightly further west it will allow some cloud to move into eastern areas of the UK.
“In western parts, under largely cloudless skies, temperatures of up to 20C are forecast for Friday. High pressure is forecast to remain dominant through the weekend and indeed at the start of next week, meaning a prolonged spell of settled weather for the UK with little in the way of rainfall and plenty of sunshine. Temperatures are likelly to ease off though.”
