Hare today, gone tomorrow

Veteran John dismisses fears over animal welfare at last Scottish track Thornton owner says he took just 13 bets on his last day and lost £1300

- BY MARK McGIVERN

THE last men standing in Scotland's once mighty greyhound racing scene have spoken of their sadness as the sport was voted into oblivion at Holyrood last night.

MSPs voted by 70 to 27 in favour of a complete ban at the Scottish Parliament after a Bill by Greens MSP Mark Ruskell won Scottish Government support amid widespread concerns over animal cruelty.

John Carroll, the last bookie to take bets at Scotland's final remaining track, said that the only people actually racing dogs recently were hobbyists racing their pets for prizes of as little as £30.

And Paul Brignal, who owns Thornton Greyhound Stadium in Fife, said there was no evidence of animal cruelty at his venue.

The veteran “dugs man” said: “I feel it’s desperately sad and it's unjustified to ban this sport on animal welfare grounds.

“There isn't a shred of evidence that racing dogs on oval tracks causes injuries that could not be caused on any other kind of track, so this convoluted fudge of a bill seems to be a bit underhand.”

Brignal, 63, took out a mortgage when he paid £220,000 for the Thornton track in 2002.

At that time there were up to seven bookies working twice a week but by 2022 there was only one.

But he insists a ban is not needed because only a handful of hobbyists are now involved.

The long-term track operator added: “It seems that greyhounds were simply an easy target.”