As the Olympic countdown begins, concerns are growing about the impact of lengthy road closures on residents during the cycle races.

Andrew Reid, chairman of the Walton Society, wrote to Surriya Subramaniam, a senior manager at Surrey County Council responsible for delivering the Surrey project for the London Games, to voice the society’s concerns.

Extensive road closures are planned along the cycling routes, which will pass through large parts of Elmbridge.

The men’s cycling road place takes place on July 28, with the women’s race the following day.

The time trials then take place on August 1, along a different route, and there will be a rehearsal for the time trial on July 31, which will require rolling road closures between 10am and 11.30am.

Mr Reid said: “Local people can understand the very good reasons for closing the roads early in the morning prior to the event, in order to ensure the safety and security of all those involved.

“However, it now seems likely that it is intended to keep the route closed until possibly early evening on both the Saturday and Sunday.

“We believe that this is asking too much of the residents of the area and as such is not acceptable.”

He said crossing points could be opened 15 minutes after the last road sweeping vehicles had passed through and barriers could be moved at key points in Walton to provide access for residents and ensure community support.

Road closures will be in place from about 5.30am, although some local access will be permitted until on the time trial.

No exact time has been given for the lifting of the closures, other than “late evening”.

Councillor Chris Sadler said: “I think a lot of people have had enough.”

Chief Superintendent Gavin Stephens said the sporting event was a cause for celebration, but measures were in place to ensure the Games could be enjoyed safely and securely.

He said: “We also need members of the public to start making plans of their own.

“I would urge residents to put the dates of the Olympic torch relay and event days in their diaries and start thinking about how they are going to get to work, school or social events on those days.

“I want to stress that while this will be a demanding time for us, we are committed to providing the normal service to our communities while also maintaining resilience to deal with any emergency. When the public call for help, we will attend as normal.”