The number of tour guides in Bury St Edmunds has more than doubled following the recruitment of 13 new green badge volunteers.

Tourism is big business in the town with around 724,000 trips a year and St Edmundsbury Borough Council has invested in the new tour guides, who each completed an eight-month National Institute of Tourist Guiding course.

The 13 volunteers will lead tour groups specifically in Bury St Edmunds and takes the total number in the town to 25.

Councillor Alaric Pugh, St Edmundsbury’s cabinet member for planning and growth, said: “There is such a rich and exciting history to Bury St Edmunds and many of the buildings, the tapestry of these tales, still stand all around us.

“These tour guides are all volunteers who are enthusiastic about bringing this history to life for the hundreds of thousands of visitors that come to Bury St Edmunds each year and boost the local economy.

“All of this is part of our wider work with our key partners in tourism to encourage visitors to come to west Suffolk throughout the year, to stay longer, recommend the area to their friends, and of course to book up to come back again.”

Tours are held twice a day from July to September at 11am and 2pm and cost £5.

The tours, which are also available in French and German start from the tourist information point on Angel Hill.