THE TOUR of Britain event which dazzled Worcestershire boosted the county's economy by £1 million, it has emerged.

The world class cycling event, which led to 75,000 people lining the county's roadsides, resulted in £995,849 being spent by visitors, a major pick-up for cafes, shops, bars, hotels and restaurants.

Stage four of the tour, which kicked off in Worcester on Wednesday September 10, saw people from around the region flock to the county to see

stars like reigning champion Sir Bradley Wiggins and Mark Cavendish.

Organisers working for the Tour of Britain, which compiled the stats, have also revealed how spectator numbers along the Worcestershire route matched those seen at sections of this year's Tour de France spectacular.

Worcestershire's Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) said the data has "exceeded expectations".

Peter Pawsey, the chairman, said: "We knew this high profile sporting event would bring people to the county, and I am pleased to announce that it exceeded even our expectations.

"For every pound invested, we saw 10 times the return in the local economy and it was great to see the event so well supported with more than 75,000 watching the race within the county boundaries.

"Worcestershire is a beautiful place and great business location and I am sure that we will see many visitors return to the county."

He added that the event will help put the county on the map "regionally and nationally".

Adrian Hardman, Worcestershire County Council leader, said: "This really was a great day for Worcestershire which is a world class place to live, visit and do business.

"Hosting such an incredible sporting event put the spotlight firmly on the county and the impressive economic impact speaks for itself."

The event was so well organised and proved so popular in Worcestershire, calls have been made for the Tour de France to come to the county.

This year's event was the first time it had been in the county sine 2008, starting at The Hive and cycling through the city centre onto Malvern, Upton, Pershore, Evesham and Broadway and then via Gloucestershire to Bristol.

Adrian Field, from Worcester's Business Improvement District (BID), which represents shops in the city, said: "It was a cracking day weather wise, which helped.

"It was a very well-run event. Worcester's overnight economy will have felt a lot of benefit from it, certainly the hotels I speak to told me it was a resounding success, and the restaurants too."

Re-live the Tour of Britain's Worcestershire stage