Organisers of Bolton Marathon have pledged to ditch plastic water bottles for the event.

In a social media post on October 28, the organiser, Richard Smith said: “We see and hear how frustrated runner get when they have to run through a sea of plastic and rubbish when racing.

“We think it’s time for that to change! First up - no plastic bottles!”

The race will instead offer runners water in paper cups and Ooho, an edible water pod made from Notpla, a plant-based material.

In the athletes village they will offer paper cups and reusable plastic cups.

The team also want to look at how they collect waste created by the event to ensure that everything is collected, leaving no rubbish on the streets.

The materials used as a replacement for plastic cannot be recycled once they gets dirty, so the main benefit comes from the time it takes to break down.

Reaction to the announcement has been very positive, with Hayley Lever, strategic lead for GM Moving, taking to Twitter to ask: “What would it take for all GM events to go plastic bottle free?”

North Bolton Runners praised the idea as well, making the pledge to ditch plastic bottles from their railway 5k on Saturday November 2.

The group said that along with the environmental impact, they also saved money and time with the decision, making it a “no brainer”.

The marathon will take place on Sunday May 17 at 9am, and costs £55 to enter.

Runners will have eight hours to complete the single lap route that starts and finishes in Queens Park.

Water and food will be provided at all feed stations, withy each competitor receiving a free beer and a finishers t-shirt and medal at the finish line.

There will also be no single-use plastic at the event.