Horse racing could take place behind closed doors as independent courses fight to survive the coronavirus lockdown.

Musselburgh Racecourse general manager Bill Farnsworth says the only way to save the sport is to allow racing to resume.

Racing across the United kingdom has been suspended since March 18.

However during a video conference meeting of Musselburgh Racing Associated Committee, which oversees the East Lothian course, Mr Fanrsworth warned that only the return of racing itself will save it for the future.

He said: "The only thing that will save us is getting us racing again.

"Racing needs to get racing again, it will be behind closed doors but racing is unique because that is viable because of the digital platforms which allow us to show races and betting to operate online."

Mr Farnsworth told the committee it was nearly impossible to predict the impact of the racing closures on Musselburgh.

He said staff at the course have been furloughed, but they were lobbying to find a way to hold races behind closed doors as early as June or July.

And he said the Racecourse Association (RCA) has been urging the Horse Betting Levy Board to release some of an estimated £54million it has in its reserves to pay courses abandonment payments to help them weather the storm.

He said: "We believe the Levy Board should be paying racecourses an abadonment payment. In recent years that payment responsibility was taken up by Media Rights but the Levy Board is sitting on £54million so they should use some of that."

Musselburgh ward councillor Stuart Currie, who sits on the committee, described the claims the Levy Board, which is a non departmental Government body, had so much money in reserves as "outrageous".

He said: "The British Horseracing Authority needs to step up and step out and get some of that cash out to the industry.

"It is outrageous if people are potentially going to the wall."