Organisers behind the Tour of Britain said the Dorset stage couldn't go ahead following the withdrawal of motorcycle officers.

The announcement of the cancellation came on Thursday evening (8th) following the death of HM Queen Elizabeth ll, aged 96.

The prestigious event was due to take place in Dorset for the first time - with Stage Seven starting at West Bay before passing through Dorchester en route to Ferndown.

Tour of Britain organisers first announced the cancellation of stage six in Gloucestershire due to take place on Friday (9th) before later confirming that stages seven (Dorset) and eight (Isle of Wight) would also be off over the weekend.

The events required around 30 police motorcycle outriders, plus two police command vehicles and then additional local support, depending on the stage.

Police resources started to be recalled for the period of national mourning, which began shortly after Her Majesty the Queen's passing was announced and ran until the evening after her funeral on Monday (19th).

A spokesperson for the Tour of Britain commented: "Owing to the withdrawal of many of the motorcycle officers and the team who manage the Central Escort Group on the race, it was not possible to continue with this very limited resource.

"Without the police escort, there is simply no way of managing and implementing the road closures required for the race to keep all of the riders, teams, officials, and spectators safe while on public roads. We would never organise and run an event that jeopardises the safety of anybody, hence why the decision was made shortly after 10:30pm on Thursday to cancel all remaining stages of the race."