Olympic stadium steel installed - PHOTOS

Work on seating in the Olympic stadium has begun, with the installation of the first steel at the venue.

Steel terracing supports, reaching 35m in the air and each weighing 35 tonnes, have been lifted above the podium to hold the 55,000 seats in the upper tiers.

Work is concentrating on the south stand but eventually 112 rakers will be erected around the stadium over the next nine months.

The pre-fabricated rakers are delivered to site in sections, bolted together and lifted into place by a 200 tonne crawler crane.

Olympic Delivery Authority chair John Armitt said: “People will now start to see the skeleton of the Olympic stadium from miles around, giving a real indication of sheer size and scale of this flagship venue.”

By the end of the year the stadium should be easily identifiable, with the podium slab around the west and south stands to join up with the raised ground level on the north and east stands, creating a concourse.