The dress rehearsal for the official Olympic torch relay will begin in Leicester.

Organisers said the 80-mile stretch of the official route between the city and Peterborough had been chosen for the rehearsal because it allowed every element of the relay to be put to the test.

The practice event, on Friday, April 20, will use students from local universities as rehearsal torch bearers.

Leicester City Council leaders expressed their excitement after the news was announced yesterday.

Deputy city mayor Councillor Rory Palmer said: "Leicester is delighted to be part of the country's only dress rehearsal torch relay run for the Olympic Games. The eyes of the nation will be on us."

The test convoy will begin their route in the city and then pass through Quorn, Loughborough, Hoton, Wymeswold, Asfordby and Melton. It will then move into Rutland, where it will go through Langham, Oakham and Uppingham, before heading on to Peterborough.

Ernie White, Leicestershire County Council's health spokesman, said: "Hosting this prestigious event is a feather in Leicestershire's cap and a unique opportunity to showcase the area to a national audience.

"Leicestershire is famous for its sporting heritage and there is nowhere better to test out such a historic occasion."

Councillor Paul Harley, Charnwood Borough Council's spokesman for leisure and culture, said the authority was "extremely proud and privileged" to be playing a role in the Olympic preparations.

The dress rehearsal will involve 100 inspirational students who will be nominated by Loughborough College and Leicester, De Montfort and Loughborough universities, as well as the Royal College of the Blind, in Hereford.

Roads along the route will be closed to enable the convoy to pass through.

Procedures being tested will include timings, convoy movement, radio communications, traffic management and security operations.

The test stretch was chosen by the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Chairman Sebastian Coe said: "The Olympic torch relay will be the UK's moment to shine."

The torches carried on the day will be unlit.

The Olympic Flame will not be lit until Thursday, May 10.

The flame will start its journey at Land's End, in Cornwall, on Saturday, May 19. It will pass through Leicester and 16 towns and villages in the county and Rutland on Monday, July 2, and Tuesday, July 3, as part of its 70-day tour.

Some 8,000 people from across the country have been chosen as torchbearers, including Debbie Bliss, 46, from Hinckley.

She said: "It's a historic occasion, the Olympics doesn't come to England very often, and I feel like I'm part of history.

"I's great they've chosen Leicester for the rehearsal."