Publicity: The council plans to go live on 1 September with new webpages for the downs. We’re still pushing for the conservators to produce dedicated leaflets for users of the downs, including horse riders, who could download the information from the website.
Post-Derby clear up: We complained, not for the first time, about the standard of clearing up after the Derby. A fortnight after the event, there were still large quantities of glass on the raised bank next to the home straight, and on the bridleway 127 part of Old London Road — something which wouldn’t be accepted for a moment on the training gallops. The detritus on the Hill, near the Tote stand, which reappears after each Derby, was left again this year. And the litter clear-up failed to reach down Old London Road to Buckles Gap.
Sand track: We’ve asked for the depth of the surface in the sand track, at the foot of Walton Downs, to be reduced, as (ironically, compared with a year or two ago), it’s now too deep!
