Storm cancels major sports event four miles from Anfield just hours before Liverpool vs Brighton

Aintree has cancelled its first racing fixture of the season due to Storm Boelo. The Liverpool track was due to host a seven-race jump card on Sunday, including the Grade 2 Old Roan Chase. However, an inspection at 8am saw the decision to call off the races due to strong winds. Liverpool are also due to take on Brighton in the Premier League on Sunday, but that remains on as it stands . Aintree and Anfield are just four miles apart in the city. A yellow weather warning remain in place across Merseyside until 11pm on Sunday,  Liverpool game on The club confirmed both men’s and women’s games would be going ahead on Sunday. A statement read: “The men’s team host Brighton & Hove Albion in the Premier League and the women’s team are facing London City Lionesses in the Barclays Women’s Super League, with each kicking off at 2pm GMT. “Due to the very windy weather, please take care if you are travelling to either game, plan your journey in advance and give yourself extra time. “Club stewards will be on hand at both stadiums to assist supporters – please follow their guidance when you arrive. “We wish you safe travels and we look forward to welcoming you to Anfield and St Helens Stadium.” Aintree statement Aintree released a statement shortly after an inspection was carried out, confirming races were off. A statement from the track said: “Today’s Halloween Family Fun Day featuring the William Hill Old Roan Chase has been abandoned due to high winds caused by Storm Boelo. “Overnight wind speeds have reached 44mph, with the outlook for the day showing further significant winds until at least early afternoon. “While we are disappointed, the safety of our participants, visitors and teams is our number one priority.” Clerk of the course, Sulekha Varma, said: “It’s just a real shame but unfortunately the wind has come in as forecast. “At the beginning we were very conscious that if we got what was forecast then we were going to struggle and there is no prospect of any improvement until at least 3pm this afternoon.  “We’ve registered wind speeds of 44.97mph already, and the average wind speed is hovering at 40mph, so it’s enough that wings and rails are on the floor and we’re not going to be able to keep them up for racing. “There’s concerns about safety of the site for participants and spectators, so we simply can’t race.  “It’s unfortunate to not get our season under way today, but we’ll look to have conversations about rescheduling soon.” Other race meetings’ status Racing at Market Rasen, Galway, and Wexford fared better, though, as they passed early morning inspections. Market Rasen now becomes the sole race meet in Britain going ahead. It passed an inspection at 7.30am, but the conditions will be monitored throughout the day. Clerk Alice Cosgrove said: “We are raceable at the moment. We have had a walk round and everything is where it should be. “We had gusts of up to 37mph and the average is 14mph. The forecast was for it to be stronger than we are currently experiencing, which is a positive we’ve got to take.” BETTING OFFER: Check out all the best free betting offers across all sports here