Animal rights campaigners have renewed calls to permanently close a Lanarkshire dog racing track after it was revealed 15 greyhounds had died there in just three years.
A further 197 animals were injured in the same time span, with the incidents occurring at Shawfield Stadium in Rutherglen.
The venue has not held any events since the start of the pandemic in March 2020.
Now groups such as Scotland Against Greyhound Exploitation (SAGE) and Say No to Greyhound Racing, believe the gates to the stadium should stay closed for good.
Figures shown in correspondence between greyhound racing's governing body the GBGB and the Scottish Parliament's cross-party committee for animal welfare, revealed there had been 15 deaths and 197 injuries at the track between 2017 and 2020.
The GBGB say they are dedicated to cutting the figures further, but campaign groups insist only the closure of Shawfield, which has held race meetings for nearly 90 years, will prevent any further injuries or deaths.
Gill Docherty from SAGE told Lanarkshire Live: "People might look at those numbers and think they're low for a three year period, but to us they're far too high.
"Shawfield has only been having one race card a week - on a Saturday - prior to the pandemic, and to say there is little risk when seeing that amount of injuries is beyond belief.
"If there is any racing at all then sadly there is a risk to the animals. We feel there is momentum with our campaign now.
"Shawfield could have re-opened back in 2020 and still hasn't - the numbers there have decreased over the years.
"More people now know that greyhound racing is unacceptable. At the moment Shawfield is just sitting there, and surely there are ways it could be re-purposed to better help the community in Rutherglen, rather than racing dogs."
Shawfield first held races in November 1932 and it is the last remaining GBGB track in Scotland.
Mark Bird, chief executive of the GBGB, told us : "Through comprehensive and robust regulation, licensed greyhound racing upholds the very highest standards of welfare and integrity.
"As a GBGB licensed track, Shawfield Stadium and its trainers follow our Rules of Racing and are required to protect and promote the safety and wellbeing of greyhounds at all times.
"This protection goes far beyond what is afforded to domestic dogs."
Mr Bird added that the GBGB are introducing further measures the group say will prevent further injury.
He added: "We closely monitor every injury sustained at our tracks, which, in the vast majority of cases, are minor and can be easily treated allowing greyhounds to make a safe return to the track or to begin their retirement in loving homes as pets.
"Our annually published data demonstrates the progress which has been made in recent years but we are committed to driving this further.
"As such, through our Greyhound Commitment and the upcoming publication of our new welfare strategy, we are committed to further safeguarding the health and wellbeing of racing greyhounds at every stage of their lives.
"As part of this, we are working closely with government to achieve more sustainable funding from the bookmaking industry as this will allow us to safeguard welfare for the long term."
A petition by SAGE calling for the outright ban of greyhound racing currently has over 13,000 signatures and can be found here.
The owners of Shawfield Stadium were approached for comment.
*Don't miss the latest headlines from around Lanarkshire. Sign up to our newsletters here.
And did you know Lanarkshire Live is on Facebook? Head on over and give us a like and share!
