Hopes Tour of Britain will give economy big boost

The Tour of Britain passed through Lavenham during the second stage

A council leader hopes the country's biggest cycling race will give a big economic boost to the towns and villages it passes through.

The Lloyds Tour of Britain Men raced from Woodbridge to Southwold on the opening stage, with stage two beginning and ending in Stowmarket on Wednesday.

Hundreds of spectators lined the streets for the first two stages, which were both won by Olav Kooij.

Andrew Mellen, Green leader of Mid Suffolk District Council, said it would lead to a "real boost for the local economy".

Andrew Mellen, leader of Mid Suffolk District Council, was pleased the area had been picked for the event

"The last tour, they did an assessment on that, and reckon there was something like £17m worth of direct economic benefits to the communities along the route," Mellen explained.

"So we want a bit of that slice of cake today.

"We really think that all the communities along the route are going to see some sort of economic benefit.

"People are going to be coming in, buying drinks, buying food, there's people that have come here for accommodation, to watch - and all that adds up and is a real boost for the local economy."

Olav Kooij won both the first and second stages of the race

Mellen added the event was a "fantastic chance to showcase our district" and the council was "pleased" it had been offered the chance to host one of the stages.

During the second stage, the riders will pedal along 169.3km (105.3 miles) of Suffolk's roads.

Suffolk also hosted the event in 2024, when the final stage took place in the county.

There were crowds of people in Eye cheering on the cyclists during the second stage