Speedway owner 'devastated' after roof ripped off

The owner of a motorcycle speedway track has said he is "devastated" after strong winds ripped off a building roof and damaged a wall at the site.

The pits area roof at the Workington Comets track was torn off and a gable wall was fractured in high winds on Sunday.

Comets owner Andrew Bain said the damage "happened at the worst time" because the racing season was just four weeks away.

He said: "I'm gutted and devastated. We need to raise a lot of money for materials."

Mr Bain added: "The roof has been blown off where the bikes are stored and worked on throughout the racing.

"The wind has also split the gable wall so all the electrics have to be taken down and the wall will have to be taken down and re-pinned.

"We've only got four weeks to do it because the season starts.

"We've done a lot of developments and worked tirelessly for six years to expanding the site. It's one step forward, three back."

In May, thousands of pounds worth of equipment belonging to the speedway team was stolen during a break-in.

The owner said the club had not cancelled any events yet but was working hard "to make everything safe before a training camp on Saturday".

Mr Bain added speedway was "massive in Workington" and he was "thankful for all the kind messages and offers of help".

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