ROADS across north Wirral will be closed on Sunday morning as hundreds of runners take part in the Run Liverpool marathon.

The first 12 miles of the race will be staged in Wirral before the runners cross the river via the Mersey Tunnel to complete the challenge in Liverpool.

The race begins at Birkenhead Park at 9.30am and continues through Birkenhead, out towards Wallasey via Twelve Quays, along Brighton Street and Seabank Road to New Brighton, then back along the promenade to Seacombe before heading for the Birkenhead tunnel via Hamilton Square.

In Wirral, road closures will be in force from either 6am or 8am and will remainclosed until the last runner has passed.

 

Wirral roads affected on Sunday, and the approximate durations they will be closed, are as follows:- Ashville Rd / Cavendish Rd, Birkenhead, 6am – 10.30am; Park Road North / Conway St, Birkenhead,6am – 10.30am; Vittoria Rd / Corporation Rd / Rendell St, Birkenhead, 8am – 10.30am; Tower Rd, Birkenhead / Birkenhead Rd, Wallasey, 8am – Noon; Brighton St / King St, Wallasey, 8am – 11am; Seabank Rd / Rowson St, New Brighton, 8am – 11am;Kings Parade / Ian Fraser Walk / Marine Promenade, 8am – 11.30am; Tower Rd return / Canning St, Birkenhead, 8am – Noon; Argyle St / Hamilton Square, Birkenhead, 8am – Noon; Hamilton St / Market St / Albion St, Birkenhead, 8am – Noon.

 

The above times are all approximate and are designed to ensure the safe operation of the event.

 

They are subject to change and could be affected by the flow of runners. Their safety will take priority, but a council official said every effort would be made to ensure affected roads opened up as early as possible.

 

For residents along Rowson Street, Seabank Road, King Street and Brighton Street there will be crossing points in effect until 9am. The Queensway (Birkenhead) Tunnel will be closed from 6am on race day so people travelling to Liverpool will need to use either the Kingsway (Wallasey) Tunnel or public transport.

Race organisers have distributed leaflets to residents along the route explaining how they will be affected by the race coming through their area in an effort to minimise the impact on local people.

Detailed instructions for runners and spectators can be found on the official Run Liverpool Marathon website – www.runliverpoolmarathon.co.uk.

The three official marathon car parks are all in Liverpool and people are encouraged to use either the train from there to Birkenhead Park station or one of the specially-provided shuttle buses to get to the start. Parking will not be allowed in the area around Birkenhead Park.

Wirral Council leader, Cllr Phil Davies, said: “We are delighted once again to welcome back the Run Liverpool marathon to the borough as well as the Wirral 10k, which takes place at the same time. We wish everyone taking part the best of luck and urge local residents to come out and show their support to the runners as they pass by.

“We have worked hard alongside the organisers, building on last year’s experiences, in an effort to keep disruption to local people to a minimum.

"An event such as this is bound to inconvenience some people along the route, but they should be assured that the roads will reopen just as soon as it’s safe to do so.”