Oxford Stadium has seen a sharp increase in attendances in the past month.

A campaign promoting a '1p meal deal', which allows race-goers entry and a fast food meal for only a penny, is believed to be behind the increase.

Although the promotion is only available on Tuesday or Thursday nights, there has been a spill-over effect leading to the stadium being packed every Saturday since the campaign started three weeks ago.

The stadium's general manager, Maureen Ridley, is thrilled with the increased visitor numbers.

"During September and October we've seen a lot of new faces at the stadium," she said.

"One family, who came for the first time, said they couldn't believe they hadn't been before and would definitely be coming back.

"The fact that a family with young children and a group of adults can come to the same place and all have a great time shows that greyhound racing is suited to all ages. "With all the doom and gloom of the credit crunch, we're able to offer our customers value for their money, even without the penny meal deal.

"Many customers said it was the prospect of a night of entertainment at a reasonable price that attracted them.

"Among the punters was a group from Newbury, who added to the fun by dressing up in golfing attire to celebrate a birthday.

"One of the party revellers said they fancied doing something different for a birthday night out, and coming to the dogs was a cheap and easy way of doing it!"

Figures show that, since the launch of the greyhound industry's '1p Meal Deal' campaign, more than 20,000 vouchers have been downloaded nationwide.

The promotion runs until the end of October.