York hit by fire

York racecourse has been hit by a fire in the main grandstand.

The Ebor Stand, opened in 2003, was the venue for a function at the time of the fire but there have been no reported injuries.

James Brennan, head of marketing and sponsorship at the track, said: "There has been a fire in one of the stands. The most important thing is that everyone at the function evacuated in an orderly fashion, along with the staff, and everyone is accounted for so we do not believe there are any injuries."

Officials at the track are hoping to carry out a full analysis of the damage caused during the fire on Thursday.

However, Brennan anticipates the incident will not impact upon York's ability to stage their two-day meeting, featuring the John Smith's Cup, next weekend.

"We do not believe this incident will affect our ability to race next weekend," Brennan added.