Travel advice ahead of annual motorbike ride

The annual ride helps fundraise for the National Memorial Arboretum

Motorists are being advised of additional traffic when an annual motorcycle ride returns next month.

The Ride to the Wall event attracts thousands of bikers from across the UK, heading to the National Memorial Arboretum in Alrewas, Staffordshire.

The event offers an opportunity for motorcyclists to gather to pay their respects to serving and fallen servicemen and to raise funds for the National Memorial Arboretum.

The operators of the M6 Toll have confirmed they will open the road free of charge for motorcyclists heading to the event on 4 October.

The event, now in its 18th year, has previously seen riders attend from as far afield as Spain, Germany and the US.

The ride is held on the first Saturday of October and marks the date when the Armed Forces Memorial was dedicated by Queen Elizabeth II in 2007.

The memorial commemorates all those who have died in service since the end of World War Two.

The Ride to the Wall event attracts thousands of riders each year

Maxine Estevez, from the M6 Toll, said they were expecting about 2,000 bikers to use their route.

"It's an honour to help these riders travel safely and smoothly," she said.

"Ride to the Wall is a deeply meaningful tradition, and we're proud to play our part."

Registered bikers will be passing through T5 Shenstone and T6 Burntwood toll plazas between 9:30 BST and 11:00.

To keep traffic flowing, wide load lanes will be marked with signs on the approach roads, and organisers have asked riders to avoid exiting at T4 Weeford to help reduce congestion.

Ride to the Wall founder Martin Dickinson says the support of the M6 Toll's operators is 'vital' to its smooth running

"We simply couldn't host Ride to the Wall at this scale without the continued support of M6 Toll," said Martin Dickinson, founder of Ride to the Wall.

"With seven of our 12 official routes relying on the M6 Toll for safe and reliable travel to the arboretum, their backing is absolutely vital."

All cars arriving at the arboretum will be directed to a park and ride facility, with shuttle services that will be in operation being wheelchair accessible and able to accommodate standard mobility scooters.