THE Queen's Jubilee baton is beng carried through the Watford area on Friday, June 28.

The baton relay started from Buckingham Palace on March 11 and is a 19 week journey through all of the 24 Commonwealth countries including Canada, the Caribbean, Africa, Australia, the Far East and Malta.

The baton returned to England on Thursday, June 6, and will pass through 500 UK villages, towns and cities, covering 5,000 miles and be passed to 5000 runners before reaching the City of Manchester Stadium on July 25 for the start of the Commonwealth Games.

The baton race will be given an escort by the National Escort Group along its route so Hertfordshire Police are issuing advance warning for drivers about potential delays on the roads.

Head of Road Policing, Chief Inspector Liz Byron, said: "While in runner mode, the estimated speed of the entourage is 5 mph and this may result in severe delays on the county's roads.

"We would advise motorists to set out early or, where possible, avoid the roads altogether."

At certain points where the road is unsuitable for runners, the convoy will switch to vehicular mode with an estimated top speed of 35 mph.

On June 28, the route will start in Baldcock in Hertfordshire. It has been roughly estimated that the core convoy will arrive in Garston on the A412 and travel into Watford from 12.45pm.

At 12.53pm the convoy will arrive at the town hall roundabout where it turns left into Beechen Grove then left into Clarendon Road.

At 1.32pm the convoy will travel along Clarendon Road into Station Road, left into Rickmansworth Road and travel towards Croxley Green, Mill End and then Maple Cross along the A412.

However ten minutes before these times, a runner deployment convoy will pass through this route.

The baton being carried has been designed to symbolise the uniqueness of the individual and the common rhythm of humanity.

It is constructed of aluminium and features two sterling silver coins on either side. There are sensors on the inside of the baton which detect and monitor each runner's pulse rate, converting it into a bright blue pulsating light which synchronises with each new runner.

June 19, 2002 17:00