Council chiefs have said they are “a bit embarrassed” after admitting the Sport Relief mile in Ipswich town centre fell short of a mile.

The hundreds of fundraisers who took part on Sunday ran 0.7 or 0.8 miles, an Ipswich Borough Council spokesman said. It was the same distance as two years ago but it was not advertised this year.

The spokesman said: “We were contacted by people who probably couldn’t believe their times. We didn’t repeat the disclaimer this time around and we apologise. We are a bit embarrassed.

“Extending the loop would cause a lot of traffic disruption in Crown Street. But we thank all the runners who did not get it wrong and helped a superb charity.”