More than 40 animal rights activists 'de-arrested' after protesters storm Grand National and cause M57 chaos

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

More than 40 animal rights activists have been de-arrested after a large number of protesters attempted to gain entry to the Aintree Racecourse track, delaying the start of the flagship Grand National, campaign group Animal Rising has said.

Merseyside Police had initially arrested 118 people on Saturday after scores of activists climbed over fences, with at least two fixing themselves to a jump using glue and lock-on devices.

It comes as the ECHO reported that the RSPCA has now called on racing authorities to conduct an 'urgent' review into the horse deaths that occurred at this year’s Grand National. READ MORE Despite the glitz and glamour, it was those without tickets that stole the Grand National show When the race started, a horse was destroyed after falling at the first fence – the second to die at Aintree on Saturday and the third at the three-day festival – prompting campaigners to call for jump racing to be banned.

On Saturday, the protesters breached security fences as National runners were in the parade ring, causing a delay of 12 minutes, although racegoers helped police and event organisers to stop some from reaching the track.