London 2012 Olympics: Torch Relay Rehearsal Kicks Off At Leicestershire Space Station

Olympic Torch Relay Rehearsal Kicks Off In Leicestershire

A full dress rehearsal for the London 2012 Olympics torch relay is under way with Leicestershire bearers leading the way.

Some 122 participants from the county were acting as torchbearers during the only full operational dummy run of a single day of the relay. However people are being warned not to watch, amid concerns that traffic chaos could pile up along the route.

A steam train and two boats, a Warrior and a Rigid Inflatable Boat (RIB) will be involved in the relay, in which the actual torch will start from Land's End in Cornwall next month after the arrival of the Olympic flame in the UK on May 18.

Friday's rehearsal, taking place on the Leicester to Peterborough route, is aimed at testing timings, convoy movement, radio communications, traffic management and security.

The torch will not be lit during the rehearsal, the organisers said.

The actual Olympic flame will pass through 1,018 places in the UK, as well as visiting Dublin, arriving in London for the Olympic Games opening ceremony on July 27.

Friday's rehearsal kicked off at the National Space Centre in Leicester just after 7am.

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