£3.5Million Tower Being Built In Weymouth

Work is underway to build a new tourist attraction in Weymouth –costing £3.5million.

The 'Weymouth Tower' will stand on the seafront, at more than 50 metres high and weighing around 130 metric tons. It'll be able to carry around 70 people in its observation pod at any time but Mark Oakley is spokesman from Merlin Entertainments - the company behind it. He says they're hoping thousands will use it every day – especially during the Olympics:

"We're expecting it to have around 2000 plus passengers a day at its peak, offering amazing views of the Jurassic Coast and across Weymouth and Portland. The rotating viewing pod will offer a unique, birds-eye view across the Olympic Sailing arena when it opens next year."

Construction for the tower has just started, with parts of it being shipped over in sections by a German Company called Huss, who are based in Bremen:

Mark Oakley added:

"We're hoping to hold an official ceremony in January, when a huge mechanical digger will create a seven-metre deep hole for the Tower's foundations. We anticipate it being up and running by early next summer."