PREPARATIONS have begun for the most famous race meeting in the world -- the three-day Grand National event.

Already the fences are being prepared at the Aintree racecourse in Sefton, Merseyside, ahead of the Aintree Festival in April.

Fifteen lorry loads of spruce from the Grizedale Forest in the Lake District have been brought in for the event.

A team of groundsmen will work round the clock during the meeting to ensure each fence remains in peak condition.