Council chiefs have finally given approval for the return of parkrun across Richmond, Twickenham and Kingston after months of uncertainty.

Council leader Gareth Roberts has indicated that once the final coronavirus restrictions are lifted, the first parkruns will be allowed to return at Old Deer Park, Crane Park and Kingston from Saturday, July 24.

The Royal Parks have previously announced that the two parkruns at Richmond Park and Bushy Park will be able to re-start from July 24.

Councillor Roberts made the announcement in a press release, which suggested that the council might have allowed the hugely popular events to return sooner but for some disagreements over safeguards.

He suggested that organisers had been unwilling to accept, for example, a rule that participants would have to wear face masks while congregating at the start before the 5,000m runs.

The council has given permission for the return of the events at Old Deer Park and Crane Park, which are well known events, but also Kingston parkrun, where part of the course goes through the borough.

Twickenham MP, Munira Wilson, chaired a meeting between the council and parkrun organisers to help resolve any disagreements and support a return.

She wrote on Twitter that she was 'delighted' about the return of the events on July 24.

The council has accepted there will be no requirement for masks, assuming lockdown restrictions and social distancing rules are removed on July 19 – so-called Freedom Day.

Councillor Roberts said: "I am pleased we are now looking forward to welcoming the Parkrun events back to this borough.

"There has never been any question of their return - it has been a matter of timing and reaching an agreement on additional safety measures to keep both runners and members of the public safe.

"We had hoped to be able to have Parkrun return to the borough before now, but we were clear that there needed to be a coordinated approach across London that other measures, such requesting participants wear face coverings while congregating, were put in place.

"I am disappointed that organisers were not willing to engage with the Council on these matters and that local residents have had to wait for the final lifting of government restrictions for these events to return.

"Any decisions we take around events in the borough, always have the health of all residents and visitors being placed front and centre.

"I am pleased Parkrun have now committed to working with us to address concerns and risks specific to our parks and open spaces, so we can now look forward to the safe return of these popular events."

Some parkrun regulars took to Twitter to question the approach of the Council. They rejected the idea that it would have been necessary, at any stage, to require people to wear masks as they assembled before taking them off to run.

South west London is the home of parkrun, which has become a global phenomenon with some 3 million members around the world. It was founded by Paul Sinton-Hewitt in October 2004 when just 13 runners gathered on a blustery day in Bushy Park.