A charity for disabled people says the Paralympic torch’s arrival in Harrow at 4am during next month’s relay is “insulting” and “ridiculous”.

Angela Dias, chief executive of Harrow Association of Disabled People, said the decision by the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games (LOCOG) meant hardly anyone would take to the streets to watch, especially those with health or mobility difficulties.

In contrast to the Olympic Torch Relay, which took 70 days to travel across the UK carried by 8,000 torchbearers, the Paralympic equivalent will be a 24-hour relay by 580 torchbearers in teams of five along the 87-mile route from Stoke Mandeville to London, where it will arrive on August 29.

The torch’s passes from Hertfordshire into Harrow at 4.05am, before moving into Brent at 5.46am, and Barnet at 6.06am, although no detailed route has yet been released.

Ms Dias said the plan was just “paying token value” to the Paralympics, and that she had not been consulted by LOCOG. No charities or community groups spoken to by the <i>Harrow Times</i> said they had been asked about the relay, and many were not even aware it was taking place.

Ms Dias added: “It’s like paying lip service to it – it’s coming at a ridiculous time in the morning when nobody but a drunk clubber coming home will be able to see it.

“The Paralympics should be of equal value to the Olympics and the Olympic torch should either cover both together or they should treat both relays in the same way.

“It’s been given no status or celebration at all and we won’t be able to get people out on the street to see it – it’s total tokenism and it’s quite insulting really.”

Four flames lit in London, Belfast, Edinburgh and Cardiff will be united at Stoke Mandeville Stadium on August 28 before the 24-hour relay begins.

The flame will go past iconic London landmarks later in the day such Abbey Road, Piccadilly Circus, Westminster Abbey and Downing Street before making its way to the opening ceremony at the Olympic Park.

LOCOG told the <i>Harrow Times</i> that because there was only two weeks between the end of the Olympic Games and the start of the Paralympic Games, it could not take the flame around the UK and wanted to make the relay “unique”.

It added: “Rather than replicate the format of the Olympic Torch Relay, we wanted to create a new concept for the Paralympic Torch Relay that would give it its own unique standing that it deserves.

“Hence we created the concept whereby a Flame is lit in each of the four home nations and then united at Stoke Mandeville

“So by no means is this a ‘token gesture’, we are in fact trying raise the profile of the Paralympic Torch Relay by making it different.

“Obviously we understand that these groups would rather that it was coming through at a more convenient time, but we hope that they will still come out and cheer on the inspirational torchbearers that will be carrying the Paralympic flame.”