Leeds announces Tour de France road closures

The Tour de France begins on the Headrow in Leeds on 5 July

Much of Leeds will be closed to traffic for about 15 hours on 5 July when the Tour de France begins in the city.

Roads will be closed from 00:01 BST on Saturday 5 July until about 15:00 to allow the route infrastructure to be prepared and removed afterwards, the council said.

Parking restrictions will also be in place from Friday 4 July and some car parks will be closed.

Full details are on the Leeds City Council website.

The Grand Depart begins outside Leeds Art Gallery on the Headrow shortly after 11:00, but events on the route will start at about 08:30 when the Tour's 180-vehicle publicity caravan will hand out merchandise and souvenirs to spectators.

The council said park and ride services would be in operation from Elland Road and Temple Newsam, and train operators are running extra services on the day.

Labour councillor Lucinda Yeadon said: "The extensive media attention the Grand Depart has already received is an indication of what a truly major global event this is and as a city we should be very proud to be welcoming the world to Leeds.

"We realise that for some people it may cause some inconvenience to their routine but we have worked exceptionally hard to try and minimise that disruption."