CELEBRITY doctor Hilary Jones and his son Sebastian have been banned for life from taking part in the Flora London Marathon.

The ban for the GMTV doctor, who lives near Basingstoke, was handed down by race officials because Dr Jones let his son run in his place without permission from the event organisers.

Dr Jones, 51, decided not to run in Sunday's marathon because he has been suffering from Achilles tendonitis for about a month.

He had been refused permission for his 24-year-old son to run in his place, but went ahead and let him do it anyway.

Dr Jones, who has run in two previous London Marathons, said: "My son ran for me. Rather than waste a place and some charity money, I broke the rules and let him run on my behalf.

"I apologise to the organisers. I realise I haven't done it the correct way but then I am passionate about sport, and I thought I would give my son the benefit of a place. It just seemed a shame."

He said he made the decision not to run last Thursday and he would not have given his place to anyone other than his son.

Sebastian, a former cross-country champion, finished the London race in three hours and eight minutes.

Dr Jones, who watched the race on television, said: "They have every right to be cheesed off but I stand by what I have said." He hoped he would still be able to compete in next year's London Marathon but said he would not be too disappointed if the ban remained.

A London Marathon spokesman confirmed both Dr Jones and his son had been banned from future events.

The spokesman said: "Despite asking us and us refusing them, he went ahead and gave entry to his son. It is an irresponsible thing to do. If someone falls ill, it causes medical people severe difficulties in contacting next of kin."