MUSSELBURGH Racecourse has lost its licence, leaving it with an uncertain future.

Unless the situation is resolved by Thursday, the scheduled race meeting on July 14 will not take place.

The loss of the licence follows months of dispute regarding the management of the racecourse by Musselburgh Joint Racing Committee (MJRC), which is a mix of members of East Lothian Council and of Lothian Racing Syndicate, with councillors having a majority on the committee.

In April, racecourse staff threatened industrial action after claiming they had lost confidence in the management committee.

READ MORE: Racecourse staff pass vote of no confidence in management committee

Confirming that the racecourse has now lost its licence, a statement from the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) said: "The BHA can confirm that MJRC has not met the conditions set by the BHA for the renewal of its racecourse licence by the required deadline of June 30.

"This is despite frequent ongoing discussions with the MJRC initiated by the BHA on the issues of concern since late in 2016.

"Accordingly, Musselburgh racecourse’s licence has, for the time being, lapsed.

"While discussions continue – and it remains open to the MJRC to reapply for a licence at any time – it is very much in the hands of the MJRC to meet the necessary licence conditions so that racing can continue at Musselburgh.

"The BHA understands the need to give horsemen, racecourses, betting operators and the public as much notice about future fixture changes as possible. While the MJRC can reapply for its licence at any time, for the next scheduled fixture to go ahead at Musselburgh on Friday, July 14, the BHA requires a licence to be in place by July 6 in order to give certainty to everyone concerned.

"That means, should it wish to continue with the fixture on July 14, the MJRC must provide an unequivocal commitment to meeting the licence conditions by close of business on July 6.

"Should that not be forthcoming, the BHA will confirm cancellation of the fixture at that time.

"In the event that it becomes necessary to cancel this fixture, the BHA does not plan to rearrange it as it falls outside the structure of core, funded fixtures and because there is a high volume of racing available at other tracks throughout this period.

"The next scheduled fixture at Musselburgh after July 14 is Tuesday, July 25.

"If the MJRC has not made a successful application for its licence by close of business on July 14, the BHA will take the necessary steps to reallocate this fixture to ensure that there remain two afternoon fixtures on July 25."

Following the announcement, Musselburgh Racecourse chief executive Bill Farnsworth said: "We hope that all involved in this situation will put the interests of Musselburgh Racecourse first and come to a satisfactory agreement which allows racing to continue at Musselburgh."

John Prideaux, chairman of Lothian Racing Syndicate, which has a minority on MJRC, said: "We have indicated throughout that we are willing to accept all of the conditions imposed by the BHA to have an independent review in to the governance of the racecourse.

"East Lothian Council have not and continue to object to the BHA stipulations and their inaction has resulted in the racecourse licence lapsing."

Councillor Willie Innes, council leader and chairman of MJRC, said the council was engaging with the BHA and was "determined to secure the future of racing at Musselburgh".