ARCTIC weather has decimated the National Hunt fixture list in Britain once again, with the best prospects of a resumption being reserved for Haydock at the weekend.

Yesterday's turf meetings at Nottingham and Catterick were both wiped out after early morning inspections.

At Nottingham clerk of the course Charlie Moore was quick to announce that the fixture had been lost. "It's bad up here," he reported. "Snow is lying on the whole of the course - it is between half an inch and one inch in places and in drifts of a foot in others."

Catterick followed suit shortly afterwards, also because of snow and frost. "We have had to abandon due to snow and frost. We are sorry for any disappointment this causes," said a spokesman.

Today's meetings at Folkestone and Sedgefield have also fallen victim to the weather. Folkestone's clerk of the course Geoff Stickels had not planned an official inspection but called racing off after arriving at the snow-bound track yesterday morning.

And as expected Sedgefield was forced to abandon in the afternoon and in doing so became the 79th meeting of the current season to be lost to the weather.

Clerk of the course John Cleverly said: "We have abandoned tomorrow's meeting, there is snow on the course and frost in the ground. It is disappointing but there was no point delaying our decision. We had no chance of racing this afternoon and there is a dreadful forecast for tonight."

Tomorrow's turf fixtures are also threatened by the recent arctic blast, with both Huntingdon and Wincanton reporting a covering of snow. Huntingdon will hold an inspection this morning to determine whether or not there meeting will go ahead. The track is not frozen but there is a covering of snow.

At Wincanton, where Champion Hurdler Alderbrook is due to make his reappearance in the K J Pike & Sons Kingwell Hurdle, there is only a slight covering of snow.

And clerk of the course Ian Renton is guite hopeful of beating the weather. Conditions have improved at the west-country track during the day and Renton said: "We have no frost in the ground and things are looking better.

"There is a frost of minus three, forecast for tonight and tomorrow night but it is warming up during the day, we are quite optimistic."

Prospects for Friday look better, for Haydock has so far managed to avoid the snow. "We haven't had any snow and there is not any forecast," said a spokeswoman this morning. "It is supposed to be warming up by the end of the week. The going is soft."

Kempton, due to race on Friday and Saturday, bad two inches of snow fall on the track last night but are hopeful that milder weather forecast for the end of the week will arrive in time.