Participants in a historic Scots road race are being warned of safety concerns ahead of the event.
East Lothian Council and Police Scotland said the planned Edinburgh to North Berwick road race (E2NB) does not comply with the required safety conditions.
The race was first run in 1958 and returned last year after a four-year absence.
The council and police warn that if the event proceeds as planned on Saturday, May 6, it does so without either organisation's "support or approval".
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East Lothian Council said the organiser of the event, despite attending multi-agency safety meetings, "has been unable or unwilling to comply with conditions" both it and Police Scotland "require for the safe running of the 2023 event".
It comes after the council raised concerns over last year’s event, with particular reference to the safety of both participating runners and other road users.
A number of recommendations were advised to the organiser including employing a Traffic Management company to ensure correct processes were in place to control traffic and ensure runners’ and spectators’ safety.
The council said that these conditions have not been met, and as a result, on the grounds of health and safety, neither it nor Police Scotland are unable to support the event.
The event organiser has been advised "in the strongest terms" to cancel the event, the council added.
Race organiser Alan Lawson vowed that the race will go ahead, and said it will be run “on a very safe basis”.
He told The Herald: "There were lengthy discussions with events officials and roads officials regarding the event. They seemed to take a very hostile and unhelpful view and were extremely nitpicking in the complaints they were making about what we did last year which we think was perfectly adequate to ensure the safety of participants.
"East Lothian Council gave up operating the race in 2019 and I revived it last year as it’s a very important race in running history. It’s the oldest race in the east of Scotland and its the last remaining 20-mile race anywhere in Scotland.
“The race went off very well last year and everybody seemed happy. There were no complaints. So I was somewhat gobsmacked going into a meeting back in February to find a whole stream of quite impressively-put complaints about the event, most of which I thought weren’t valid.
“The race will go ahead. It will be run on a very safe basis which we will give out very best consideration and hope that it will be a success. This race has been going almost every year for 60 years, and there has never been an incident in which there was a vehicle-runner collision.”
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