Work has got underway on a dredging scheme at the Olympic Park in east London in a bid to open up more than 2km (1.2 miles) of waterways to barges transporting construction materials to the site.

The multi-million pound scheme has launched on a stretch of water between Waterworks River - the site of the 2012 Aquatics Centre - and Bow Locks on Bow Creek, which is expected to improve the water quality of the Bow Back Rivers and tributaries of the River Lea. A 60-tonne dredger has been employed to remove around 30,000 tonnes of silt, gravel and rubble that has accumulated in the waterways, along with other items of rubbish that have been dumped in the water.

Once complete, it is anticipated that freight barges will be able to travel into the Olympic Park through a new £20m lock and water control structure at Prescott Channel, carrying building materials to a new wharf, which is being constructed near the Aquatics Centre. Funding for the scheme has been provided by a range of organisations, including the London Thames Gateway Development Corporation, British Waterways (BW), the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA), as well as the Department of Transport and Transport for London.

ODA environment manager Richard Jackson said: "This is a crucial part of our logistics strategy as we plan to use the waterways for the transport of construction materials into the Olympic Park, cutting down on the amount of lorries travelling on the roads." Richard Rutter, BW's regeneration manager, added: "These dredging works will help us to realise our dream of seeing both commercial freight barges and leisure boats taking to the water once again in east London."

Image: David Poultney/ODA