Grand National Ladies' Day: 'Unflattering shots' banned

Mr Baker said Ladies' Day was full of character and fun

Organisers of the Grand National have launched a crackdown on photographers taking unflattering pictures of Ladies' Day racegoers at this year's event.

Aintree racecourse boss John Baker told the Liverpool Echo the venue wanted to protect women at the world's biggest steeplechase from "unfair" coverage.

He said any photographers taking shots which enforce negative stereotypes could have their accreditation revoked.

Ladies Day has been a fixture of the race meeting since the early 1990s.

Colleen Rooney is a regular Ladies' Day attendee

It traditionally takes place on the second day of the Grand National race meeting and is frequented by celebrities such as Wayne Rooney's wife Colleen Rooney and Steven Gerrard's wife Alex Curran.

However, Aintree want to a stop a recent trend of photographs showing women in "unflattering" poses - which some have accused of portraying Liverpool in an unfavourable light.

Mr Baker told the paper: "We want to overwhelm the negativity, to push the positivity to the front.

Ladies' Day has been a fixture at the Grand National since the early 1990s

"Our event is full of character, it's fun, and that's generated by the personality of the Liverpool people," he said.

He said it would not be easy to manage photographers but the racecourse would endeavour to do so.

Aintree press officer Nigel Payne said the venue operated "a very stringent and responsible accreditation procedure".

Mr Baker said Aintree has a responsibility to its customers "to project the correct image"

"The majority of our accredited photographers are there for the magnificent horse racing," he said.

Tens of thousands of people attend the Grand National, which will take place from 9 to 11 April, each year.