PREPARE yourselves. It's time for the annual invasion of thousands of motorcycles.

This year's Hoggin' the Bridge event on Sunday, October 16 looks as if it will be bigger than ever before, with entries approaching last year's record 3,000 bikes.

The riders leave Aust Services on the far side of the Severn Bridge at 11am and travel down the M48, returning through the villages of Magor, Undy, Rogiet and Pwllmeyric before entering Chepstow at around noon.

Last year all the car parks were packed with bikes of all shapes and sizes and visitors are being advised to park away from the town centre at spots like Chepstow Leisure Centre or in the free car park in Bulwark.

With less than three weeks to go, the organising Bridge Club says entry ticket sales are going well. Last year they raised over £15,500 which was distributed to national and local charities.

As a special bonus this year the riders will be joined by Michael Rutter and Martin Jessop of the Riders Race Team.

Fans of the British Superbike race scene will know that they are both enjoying a very good year again this year, and are looking towards the top honours board.

In town, bands will start playing on Beaufort Square from 11am. The line up is '3's A Crowd', 'Smoke Room', 'Got It Covered', 'Angharad and Company' and 'Shooting the Crow' – all are playing for free.

A spokesperson said: "We are continually overwhelmed by the amount of local support this events gets. This is the seventh year we have come to Chepstow and it continues to grow each year. We hope the weather is as good as 2010, which will help to make Hoggin the Bridge 2011 the biggest and best yet!"