EXTRA all-weather fixtures have been scheduled to provide action as the cold snap continues to play havoc with National Hunt racing.

With only one jumps meeting – Plumpton on Sunday – having taken place since Cheltenham’s New Year’s Day card, the prospects look bleak of any more before the weekend.

There was no jump action yesterday, while today and tomorrow will feature only the all-weather Flat meetings at Southwell, Lingfield and Kempton.

The rest of the week looks similarly barren so the British Horseracing Authority have added an extra mixed meeting at Lingfield on Thursday.

The all-weather venue will stage three bumpers and three flat races, with the first race due off at 1.25pm.

Entries close at 12pm today and declarations will be made at 10am tomorrow.

Southwell will also stage a six-race Flat meeting on Friday, while the BHA has also confirmed an additional Flat meeting at Kempton on Saturday.

Saturday’s jumps meeting at Welsh venue Ffos Las could be the first jumps action in a week, although there still needs to be improvement in the freezing conditions for that to get the go-ahead.

Cheltenham hero Punjabi heads the 12 entries for the Welsh Champion Hurdle at Ffos Las on Saturday, but the meeting is in serious doubt.

“We couldn’t race at the moment and had minus six last night. Although we’ve got the take-offs and landings protected, we have got frost in the ground,” clerk of the course Tim Long said.

“As well as the cold temperatures there is the possibility of snow towards the end of the week so if we got snow on top of the covers, that would be an additional problem.”

Today’s scheduled fixtures at Leicester and Taunton were both abandoned.

Officials at Hexham called time on tomorrow’s meeting after an inspection was brought forward.

The course has had a covering of snow for two weeks . Clerk James Armstrong said: “Temperatures have struggled to get above freezing for weeks and it was one of the easiest decisions I’ve had to make.”

The jumps card at Southwell, also scheduled for tomorrow failed a 12pm inspection yesterday.

Temperatures at the track plummeted to minus six overnight and clerk of the course Roderick Duncan said: “It got down to minus six overnight and the track is obviously still frozen.”

Huntingdon officials described the chances of racing on Thursday as “pretty bleak”.

They will inspect at 2pm today. The course is frozen in places and sub-zero temperatures are forecast over the next few nights.

Clerk of the course Andrew Morris said: “We are frozen in places and if the forecast is correct, there’s not a lot of hope. Prospects look pretty bleak.”

Officials at Fontwell will inspect at 3pm tomorrow to see if Friday’s card can go ahead. Clerk of the course Ed Arkell said: “It was minus six overnight and if the forecast is correct, we will be in trouble.”

Bangor will hold an inspection today ahead of Friday’s meeting, with the course currently frozen.

Clerk of the course Ed Gretton said: “We had minus nine last night so we are pretty frozen in parts and there looks like being a bit of snow about tomorrow.”

Officials at Wincanton will also inspect at 2pm on Wednesday to assess the prospects of racing on Saturday.

Temperatures dipped as low as minus seven at the Somerset venue on Sunday night and with more frost on the way, clerk of the course Barry Johnson is not optimistic.

“We are obviously frozen at the moment and it’s looking pretty bleak. We’ll give it until Wednesday and see where we are,” he said.

TODAY’S NAP: Elusive Warrior (1.40pm Southwell).