EXCLUSIVE: Postcode neighbouring Cheltenham Racecourse had highest number of coronavirus hospital admissions

A postcode neighbouring Cheltenham Racecourse had the highest number of coronavirus hospital admissions in Gloucestershire earlier this month, according to leaked official data.

The GL52 postcode, which covers areas of north Cheltenham including Pittville, Prestbury and Bishop’s Cleeve, had 27 confirmed hospital admissions of the virus as of April 3, the highest amount in the county, according to the OS data leaked to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The entire Cheltenham area was the county hotspot for coronavirus hospital admissions at the same point, however it is not known what the latest figures are for the town.

The data also shows GL51, where Cheltenham Spa Railway Station is based, was the second highest in the county and the two postcodes made up nearly a quarter of county-wide hospital admissions as of April 3.

Organisers of The Festival, held at the Cheltenham Racecourse which neighbours the GL52 postcode in the northern edge of the town, have since been criticised for going ahead with the meeting by public health experts.

A former director of public health has said it should not have gone ahead, with the BBC reporting that Prof Gabriel Scally, former director of public health in the south west, said: “Really from a health point of view [it] should have been stopped in advance.”

More than 250,000 people attended the four-day event from March 10-13, which ended 10 days before UK lockdown measures began on March 23 and three days before social distancing measures were announced on March 16.

The Jockey Club introduced special hygiene measures for the meeting, including extra hand-washing stations, and said it had followed clear guidance from the Government and science experts.

Gloucestershire is currently the most affected county in the least affected region – the South West – in Great Britain with 989 cases of the virus and 147 deaths in the county as of yesterday (April 22).

A Government spokeswoman said there are “many factors that could influence the number of cases in a particular area” and that comparisons between hospital trusts “can’t be made”. 

The Government also said the decision to go ahead with The Festival was taken by the racecourse, and “was operating within clear Public Health England guidance at the time.”

The full attendance of The Festival was: 60,664 on March 10 (Champions Day); 56,943 on March 11 (Ladies Day); 65,218 on March 12 (St Patrick’s Day); and 68,859 on March 13 (Gold Cup Day). 

Earlier this week, Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden defended his decision at the time to not cancel sporting events such as The Festival.

He said: “The risk at mass gatherings was no greater or less than it would have been in pubs or restaurants, and the advice at that point was that we did not need to ban mass gatherings.”

A Government spokeswoman said: ‘’It is our absolute priority to protect people’s health and our advice on coronavirus is the result of direct, continuous consultation with medical experts. 

“There are many factors that could influence the number of cases in a particular area, including population density, age and health profile and the position of an area on the pandemic curve.

“It is also not possible to make comparisons between hospital trusts across the region as they all serve populations of differing size and characteristics. 

‘’The South West region has seen the lowest number of cases and deaths in the UK and we continue to work hard to support communities during these unprecedented times.” 

The Jockey Club was approached for comment. They have previously said they followed public health advice and introduced additional hygiene measures during the Festival.