More than 2,500 runners took part in a record-breaking Colchester Half Marathon on Sunday.

Roared on by hundreds of spectators who lined the streets across the town, around 2,600 participants took on the 13.1 mile circuit, raising thousands of pounds for charities and other good causes.

Event organiser Luke Wastell said: “We are celebrating a record-breaking year for the Colchester Half Marathon after 2,600 runners turned up, which is the biggest turnout by quite a large margin.

“The weather was lovely, there were no injuries or accidents, and it went really well.

“We had runners from Sudbury and Stowmarket to Whitton and Chelmsford, and some I spoke to said they had raised thousands of pounds between them.

“I would also like to thank all the volunteers, marshals and people who got up early to take part.”

Runners set off from the Weston Homes Community Stadium, the home of Colchester United, at 9am and raced through the town.

The Robin Cancer Trust and the Tom Bowdidge Foundation were the two chosen charities for the event, sponsored by Griffin Chapman, while other runners raised sponsorship for their own good causes – with hundreds of thousands of pounds set expected to be raised.