PENDLE Council's hosting of this year's Tour of Britain second stage will cost 50 per cent than originally thought.

Stage Two of the Aviva Tour of Britain, which is being jointly hosted by Pendle and Ribble Valley borough councils on Monday, September 7, begins in Clitheroe and goes through West Craven before finishing in Colne.

On Thursday, Pendle's executive councillors approved a request to set aside an additional £50,000 to help make the Tour a success.

Vince Green, financial services manager, said: “It was initially estimated that the cost of bringing the race to Pendle would be £100,000.

“However, it’s difficult to predict the final cost of hosting a stage which is why the executive approved an additional £50,000.”

Barnoldswick councillor David Whipp, chairman of Pendle’s Tour of Britain working group, said: “Bringing the Tour of Britain to Pendle is a major coup but it does mean we have a lot of work to do to make sure it runs smoothly on the day.

“This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to show the world what a beautiful place Pendle is and hopefully create a lasting legacy of attracting even more visitors to the area.”

Cllr Mohammed Iqbal, leader of Pendle Council, added: “We’re fully signed up to host the finish of Stage Two and we want to make sure that our local economy really benefits from this fantastic opportunity.

“There’s a lot involved in bringing the country’s biggest and best bike professional bike race to Pendle and it’s important we have the right resources behind us. It’s clear that the previous allocation of £100,000 was not enough."

Anyone interested in taking out a sponsorship package, which range in price from £10,000 to £250, should contact Alice Barnett on 01282 661780.