Towers make way for Olympic park

One of Europe's largest wrecking machines is tearing through the Olympic Park site.

Nicknamed Olymposaurus by site workers, the 50-tonne monster is demolishing two 12-storey former University of East London buildings, floor by floor. The last one is being razed to the ground today.

The work will clear an area linking the Olympic Village and VeloPark. Much of the material will be reused.

The Olympic Delivery Authority is almost half way through preparing the site, having demolished 106 buildings since the summer.

Lord Coe, who chairs the London 2012 organising committee, said: "This is another milestone in the transformation of the Olympic Park site. In the last year, much of the work has taken place underground on the powerlines. Now you will see an increasing amount of work at ground level as remediation and demolition gather pace."

ODA chief executive David Higgins said: "The demolition of these buildings is a symbol of how the progress we are making on the Olympic Park will help transform a neglected part of London."