Attractions

It's caused a 'meltdown at the Salisbury racecourse' claims Horse and Hound and 'triggered heated scenes' according to the Racing Post… but what exactly has got racegoers to Salisbury all hot under the collar?

Well, according to the Racing Post, it's the ban on ice-creams in the Members' lawn area of Salisbury racecourse that has got members' blood boiling.

It was race goer Russell Gibbs and his 75-year-old mother who, according to the Post, were threatened with ejection after he tried to bring a couple of cones into the Members' enclosure:

"I was told that my mother had to come into Tattersalls to eat the ice-cream," Mr Gibbs told the paper. "But she's 75 and by the time she got there it would have melted. I was told if I didn't tone it down we would be ejected."

The Clerk of the course and Racecourse Manager, Jeremy Martin's response was that: "We have a relaxed dress code for members but we can't have people wandering around eating food. People pay extra for exclusivity in members — they don't expect to bump into someone carrying an ice-cream."

But following growing criticism and a barrage of complaints the racecourse has been forced to review its policy and, at the beginning of the week, issued a press release headlined 'Ice-Cream Gate' reversing their ban on ice-creams in the Members' area:

"Although this has not been raised as an issue before," says Jeremy Martin, "the message has been very clear. We like to think we are a 'listening racecourse' and from what we have read in the paper and the emails we have received, we will be allowing ice creams in members' from now onwards.

"We won't be coning off any special areas, racegoers can eat the ice-creams anywhere."