RUNNERS who are preparing for Sunday's Bath Half Marathon have been given a boost after Great Western Railway announced they will run extra trains for this year's event.

GWR announced that they are running an extra eight morning trains that will help take local runners to the start line for 11am, while there will be an additional 14 services to take runners and supporters home after the run, providing more than 7,500 extra seats in total.

Additional services will run between Westbury and Bath, Swindon and Bath and Bristol Temple Meads and Bath will operate.

That means the earliest train from Swindon to Bath Spa will now leave at 8.45am and arrive at 9.14am; earliest Westbury to Bath train, travelling through west Wiltshire, is 8.58am, arriving at 9.22am, BTM to Bath Spa is 7.45am, arriving at 7.56am, and Cardiff Central to Bath Spa is at 8.08am, arriving at 9.30am.

Drivers are also being warned that many roads through the city centre are closed on Sunday to alolow the event to take place, while on street parking in and around the city centre has also been suspended, making train travel the easiest option for many competitors and supporters.

Bath Spa station manager Todd Graham said: "The Bath Half is one of the most beautiful city centre marathons on the running calendar, starting in Great Pulteney Street, and it is great to see it prove ever popular.

"While our staff will be on hand to help keep people moving as people return to the station, I would urge customers to allow time for their journeys, as a queuing system may be needed to allow passengers to board trains in safety."