THE BIG Hereford duck race returns this weekend.

On Sunday (August 27) over 6000 bright yellow plastic ducks will be launched from Hunderton Bridge and make their way down the river Wye as part of the annual event.

A total of £1000 is up for grabs for the winning duck, with other prizes on offer for runners-up.

Businesses also have the opportunity to take part, with a £150 Hereford restaurant voucher for the first business duck to cross the finishing line.

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The race has been a consistent success throughout the years, with an impressive 4,000 tickets being sold in 2021, and the trend is expected to continue this time around.

The event is organised by the Hereford City Rotary Club.

A spokesperson for the group said: "Planning a duck race is no mean feat.

“The ducks are corralled into pens of 1,000 then decanted into boxes of 100. Each box of 100 ducks is then put into numbered bags, checked and double checked to make sure each ticket we sell is allocated to a duck.

“During this process there is a lot of cleaning of ducks, laughing and counting. When all the ducks are sorted they are stored in bags ready for the big day.”

The ticket selling team has been visiting supermarkets and garden centres across the county since the start of the month.

They will be at the Old Market in Hereford tomorrow (August 24), Bobblestock Co-op on Friday (August 25) and the Hereford River Carnival on Saturday (August 26).

Individual duck tickets cost £2, with business tickets being £30. 

The race will take place between 4pm and 5pm, with all profits going to local and international charities.