Gates open way for 2012 barges

A pair of 17-tonne lock gates have been installed on the river Lea, opening the way for construction materials to reach the 2012 Olympics site by canal.

It is the latest phase of the Prescott Lock development in Bow.

Once complete, the lock will allow 350-tonne barges to access the main gates of the Stratford site via the Prescott Channel.

The lock will be open to the barges by the end of summer, saving hundreds of lorry journeys a week and cutting greenhouse gas emissions.

It marks a milestone in the £20million scheme to make London's Games the greenest in history. The project is being funded by British Waterways, the Department for Transport, London Thames Gateway Development Corporationthe Olympic Delivery Authority and Transport for London.

Hugh Sumner, the delivery authority's director of transport, said: "The lock will play a critical role in transportation of materials, proving we are on target to deliver 50 per cent of materials to the Olympic Park by sustainable means.

"It will also allow work to move forward on regeneration of the towpaths, to provide a beautiful backdrop for spectators that will travel to the park by water in the summer of 2012."