PEOPLE in York and North Yorkshire are being urged to check details of Tour de France road closures ahead of the event so they can find their way around the county on the event weekend.

The race weekend will also see Royal visits from Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge, and Prince Harry to Yorkshire.

The royals will be in the county for Stage 1 of the race when it leaves Leeds and heads round the Dales to Harrogate.

With yellow signs already appearing on major routes around North Yorkshire, the county council is asking residents to make sure they know what the Grand Départ parking restrictions and road closures will be.

North Yorkshire’s Cllr Gareth Dadd said: “We want to ensure that the Grand Départ passes off smoothly for everyone – for the competitors, for the spectators, and for all other residents and highways users.

“We are doing all we can to make sure that it is successful – and that as far as possible, disruption for everyone who needs to use our roads on the weekend of the 5th and 6th of July, and the days either side of the event, is kept to a minimum.”

No vehicles will be able to park on the race route and some other access roads in Harrogate town centre on race days.

For the stage 1 route on Saturday, June 5 residents and businesses must move vehicles from 7pm on Friday until the race has gone through and the road is re-opened. In Harrogate town centre parking will be suspended from midnight on Friday night. It is anticipated the suspension will be lifted from 10pm on Saturday, but it could be later depending on spectator dispersal and the removal of race infrastructure.

On the stage 2 Sunday route vehicles must be moved from 7pm on Saturday July 5 until the race has gone through and the road is reopened.

But the route will still be available for people to walk and cycle along for a period of time after it has been closed to all other traffic – up to approximately one hour before the publicity caravan passes through.

Full details of the North Yorkshire road closures are available on www.northyorks.gov.uk/tour and wider information is on www.letouryorkshire.com/travel.

In York city roads on the route and those only accessible from it will be closed for at least eight hours for preparations, the publicity caravan, the race itself, removal of race infrastructure, and the safe dispersal of spectators. For further race day information go to www.itravelyork.info