ANIMAL activists have called for an inquiry into one of the busiest dual-purpose racecourses in Britain and are urging horseracing fans to boycott the track.

Animal Aid staged a protest outside flat and National Hunt track Catterick Bridge and in Darlington town centre to highlight what it described as a “terrible death toll” at the course to race-goers.

Shoppers were shown a video of horses suffering fatal injuries while racing and campaigner Fiona Pereira said many people were shocked to hear the racecourse was the joint fifth most deadly in the country last year, with five known deaths.

Protestors told people arriving at the track for the Yorkshire Racing Summer Festival fixture that 25 horses had died at the venue since 2008 and that five more horses had been killed there this year.

Animal Aid argues the course is particularly dangerous because of its undulations and its sharp turns favour front-runners, putting pressure on riders to challenge for positions.

Ms Pereira said: “We can see no signs of effective action being taken at Catterick, either by the course officials or by racing’s regulatory body. Racegoers have the right to know about equine deaths so they can decide whether they want to support the industry or boycott it.

“If there was a road where there were many accidents, an explanation of ‘unforeseeable accident’ would not be accepted, so we want to see an independent and transparent inquiry where the findings are published.”

Fiona Needham, course general manager, said while she respected the campaign group’s right to protest outside the venue, the course was leaving no stone unturned to protect horses and viewed safety as paramount.

She said the racetrack, fences and hurdles were carefully prepared ahead of meetings, that the course was regularly inspected by the British Horseracing Authority to ensure it complied with stringent standards and that horses were at risk of serious injury regardless of the type of activity they participate in. She added: “We are in an industry we love and do our best by the horses. Catterick Racecourse takes the death of any horse extremely seriously and it is thoroughly investigated.”