Police in 'look after each other plea' ahead of Doncaster's St Leger Festival

Today will see the return of the world’s oldest classic horse race meeting to Doncaster, welcoming thousands of people to Doncaster Racecourse for four days of racing.

And South Yorkshire Police have promised high visibility patrols across the town during the festival and have urged racegoers to behave sensibly.

Last year’s event was held behind closed doors on three of the four days due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but this year’s event will see the crowds return fully.

Policing operations will be in place across the festival and officers are reminding the public that parts of the town will be busier than usual.

Supt Cherie Buttle, tactical commander for the event, said: “The St Leger is a fantastic event, and we are as pleased as everyone else to see the crowds returning to Doncaster. After a difficult 18 months, it feels like a little normality is returning.

“We are fully prepared for the festival, with plans in place to support the organisers and our partners, to ensure the safety of people heading to the race course over the next four days.

“Our officers will be carrying out high-visibility patrols, so please, don’t hesitate to come and speak to us if you need our help – or even if you just want to say hello.

“I’d also like to take this opportunity to remind people that it’s important to think about personal safety when attending events like the St Leger. I would encourage people to look after each other -drink responsibly and make a plan for how you’re getting home in advance.

“We are expecting demand on all emergency services to rise throughout the weekend, so please play your part in ensuring we can respond quickly to the most serious incidents.”

If you need to report a non-urgent crime or incident, please remember you can use the South Yorkshire online portal or live web chat.

Thursday – Ladies Day and Saturday, Leger Day – are expected to be the busiest two days of the festival.