Southampton's bid to welcome Olympic torch ahead of 2012

Civic leaders are in talks with games organisers to host a leg of the 70-day relay in the run-up to the games.

The Olympic flame will be carried around the country by up to 8,000 torch-bearers.

Local authorities were invited to declare an interest in hosting the torch relay earlier this year.

The London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games (LOCOG) is now beginning negotiations on the details of the route which will take in sporting and cultural landmarks, beauty spots and “dynamic urban areas”.

It is anticipated that there will be a celebratory event on every evening of the relay.

The flame will arrive in Britain on May 18, 2012 and arrive in London the weekend before the start of the games on July 27.

Southampton City Council’s Cabinet member for leisure and culture John Hannides said: “We are currently engaged in discussions with LOCOG to explore the options for Southampton to be one of the host cities and look forward to having further constructive discussion with them.

“I’m hopeful we will have a positive outcome in the next couple of months or so.”

Cllr Hannides said the recent mass participation Sky Ride cycle event showed that the city was “very capable” of hosting successful high profile events.

However some councils decided not to bid to host part of the Olympic Torch Relay Conservative run Somerset County Council said it could not commit taxpayers’ money to the estimated £315,000 cost of road closures and managing traffic.

A LOCOG spokeswoman said the host cities would be announced early next year. She said: “Negotiations are just about to start across the UK. All local authorities have been given the opportunity to put themselves forward, “The first thing is to plan the overnight stops.

We are aiming to go to every county that invites us. It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity.”

Organisers say that 95 per cent of Britons will be within an hour’s journey of seeing the torch.