'One race a day is fixed'

At least one horse race a day is fixed in Britain, the boss of the country's biggest bookmaking firm claims today.

Mr Bell tells a BBC documentary: "I believe one race per day in British racing to be fixed."

The fact that Mr Bell is also vice-chairman of the industry's most important body, the Association of British Bookmakers, makes his claim all the more dramatic.

The revelation will shock punters across the country and effectively means they are

being ripped off every week. His claim comes after a series of allegations of race-fixing and corruption which have rocked the horse world.

A series of races are now under investigation after a year of scandal on Britain's race courses.

Some of the biggest stars of jockeying have been caught up in the claims of race-fixing which have plunged racing into one of the biggest crises in its history.

Betting on horse racing in Britain is worth £12 billion every year with the total on all forms of gambling reaching £23billion. The Jockey Club said it would not be commenting until it had studied Mr Bell's comments.