Merseyside Police have confirmed that a total of 14 arrests were made during the Grand National Festival this week. Violent scenes broke out on the Friday between racegoers in a distressing blip in what was a widely successful three-day meeting at Aintree.
Carnage ensued on Ladies Day when two groups of men in suits clashed near the on-course bookmakers, with the huge crowd in attendance quickly moving away from the scene. Several photos were shared of the fighting in the Princess Royal Stand.
One punter was shown with a bloodied mouth lining up a punch on another young man, whilst another snap showed one furious male landing a blow on the face of another suited-and-booted racegoer.
Three arrests were made as a result of the violent scenes, with the moment of madness threatening to overshadow what was a magnificent day of racing for punters – with four of the seven favourites on the card winning. Eight males were arrested in total on the day, including one on suspicion of a drug offence and another for being drunk and disorderly.
Merseyside Police have now revealed that 14 arrests were made at Aintree in total, with six people being arrested on Grand National day. According to the Liverpool Echo, one male was arrested on suspicion of sexual touching, one woman was arrested on suspicion of assault, two men were arrested on suspicion of assault of a constable in the execution of their duty and a man and woman were arrested on suspicion of being drunk and disorderly in a public place.
Speaking on how the overall meeting panned out, Chief Inspector Iain Wyke said: “Merseyside has welcomed huge crowds at Aintree this week and I would like to thank the racegoers for enjoying themselves safely and responsibly, and helping make it another successful event for the region.
