THE Royston 2012 Co-ordinating Committee say they still hopeful the Olympic torch will pass through the town on its UK tour.

Despite not being included on the list of 74 locations, there is still a chance the famed artefact will stop by Royston according to an Olympic spokesperson.

And with the torch stopping at Cambridge on day 50 and Luton on day 51, the A505 past Royston would be the natural route to take.

Committee chair Cllr Lindsay Davidson said: “They have announced the major cities where it will be stopping, but what hasn’t been confirmed is the routes it is taking.

“All we can do is sit and hope the organisers recognise we are one of the only towns in the area doing something positive about the Olympics.

“The process is shrouded in mystery. We’re not even sure if it travels in straight lines so we could miss out, but considering what we do know it would make sense to go past Royston.

“At the moment there isn’t a location for the torch to stop in the whole of Hertfordshire, which is very interesting. I’m sure it will come into the county at some point and it could well be Royston.”

North East Herts MP Oliver Heald, who is a patron of the 2012 committee, has mentioned Royston’s progress in Westminster.

A blog posting by Mr Heald read: “This initiative is really putting Royston on the map.

At a Westminster meeting to highlight Hertfordshire’s Olympic involvement Royston was specifically mentioned as the Hertfordshire town which is best into the spirit of 2012.

“Of course, it is nothing new for Royston to show bags of community spirit, but I do congratulate all involved in making 2012 such a focus for the town.”

A spokesperson for the Olympics said: “The direction of the torch hasn’t been decided yet, but the flame will be visiting as many interesting and wonderful places as possible.”