The Olympic flame will arrive from Greece next May and the torch relay to precede the start of the 2012 Games will kick off in Land’s End in Cornwall and continue for 70 days until the opening ceremony on 27th July. 

The organisers have confirmed that the 8,000-mile route will visit Sutton on Monday 23rd July, in the final days of the torch’s journey towards the Olympic Stadium.

The exact details of its journey through the borough will be released at a later date but the flame is expected to enter the borough from Croydon and be carried hopefully through Carshalton High Street, Pound Street, Carshalton Road and onwards to Sutton town centre. It will travel through the borough for about two hours before continuing on to Merton.

Cllr Graham Tope, Executive Member for Community Safety, Leisure and Libraries at Sutton Council, said: “We’re planning a huge celebration in Sutton, with a carnival atmosphere that will involve the whole community.

“This is going to be a once-in-a-life-time event, and we will be encouraging local businesses and residents to get involved by dressing their homes and gardens, organising street parties and taking to the streets to cheer the torch on its way.”

All London boroughs will be given £50,000 by the Greater London Authority to fund decorations for the celebrations. In Sutton, each local committee will be given a share of this money, to ensure all areas of the borough can take part and enjoy the day.

The Olympic Torch will travel for approximately 12 hours each day, with an average of 110 people a day carrying the torch.