FOR some years, I have been happily going to Worcester Races and incorporating the visit with taking my dog for a walk.
On Saturday, June 29, I was met by a sign in the centre course that said dogs were not allowed on race days.
On questioning the jobsworth at the gate, I was told this draconian obstacle had been in place since the start of the season.
This is untrue as I have been there on several occasions this season with my dog, who is well-trained, kept on a lead, doesn't drink to excess and is a very good tipster.
We should all beware of this thin end of the wedge. Arena's creeping authoritarianism will have consequences for the survival of Pitchcroft as a public amenity.
Stories have already appeared in which Arena shows an obvious discontent with the people who own the land - the citizens of Worcester - actually using it without their say-so.
Watch out, or the corporate leisure suits will put barbed wire around the place and it will be lost. If they can ban four-legged animals from a race meeting, what will they do next?
PAUL FRANCIS,
St John's, Worcester.
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