Up to 20,000 punters arrive from all over the country for Newbury’s big racedays, bringing local roads to a standstill. But course managers have pulled off a deal to install a new £3 million entrance in Hambridge Road.

In April, the racecourse paid £2.5 million to Opperman Gears for two acres of land next to the factory, and a further £1 million to Network Rail for a road bridge over the railway. A new access would then lead off the mini-roundabout approaching the Fir Tree Lane junction on the A4.

The new entrance will provide relief for residents in East Fields and Stroud Green, where congestion quickly builds up for the major fixtures.

In return for allowing the Berkshire stand to be built in 1999, town planners insisted that 10 per cent of raceday traffic arrives via train. But the council has admitted it does not have the resources to monitor this.

A string of property deals have put the racecourse in great shape. Last year, it sold land for 180 homes to David Wilson Homes for £6 million. This was used to pay the £3.2 million outstanding on the Berkshire stand, and another £2 million to upgrade the Hampshire stand - including the new Hennessy restaurant.

Two years ago, Cannons bought the site of its gym on the racecourse for £1.7 million, while last year, the Wessex Social Club moved into the golf clubhouse, after being evicted from the old Southern Electric site in London Road, which is now a Waitrose store.