Overcrowded Weymouth parkrun suspended after runners are 'tripped and barged into'

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The running event which takes place at Lodmoor Country Park every Saturday morning has recently seen a surge in participants leading to concerning safety issues for runners and the public.

Announcing the decision on their Facebook page, organisers have confirmed the Weymouth parkrun, which is free sporting race every week, will be cancelled for the next two Saturdays.

The hosts have admitted the 5km route has attracted more than 500 runners in recent weeks and as a result "more incidents have been reported" as competitors find themselves "tripped or barged into".

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Following an increase in complaints, the event is no longer scheduled for the 22nd and 29th August as they ensure new signage is installed.

They wrote on Facebook: "Unfortunately we are cancelling our parkrun. Our numbers have increased over the summer but more worryingly, the number of incidents reported to the Run Director have also increased and if we want to enjoy our park run in the future, we need to take action now.

"We ask each week that everyone keeps to the left side of the path particularly on the out and back stretch, and most do but each week we have reports of people overtaking when there isn't room.

"Runners and members of the public are getting tripped and barged."

They added that each report also cost their teams "several hours of work".

The announcement received hundreds of comments from participants who all agreed with the decision to cancel the event for the time being.

Many called the route a "problem" and said they "supported the decision".

One of their biggest events, on August 1st, Weymouth parkrun recorded 690 runners.