Germany-based ride manufacturer HUSS Park Attractions is in the process of building an observation tower on the Weymouth, Dorset, seafront. To be operated by Merlin Entertainments, the 53m (174ft) tower, which will provide 360 degree views over the English Channel and surrounding countryside, is due to be completed in time for this year's Olympic sailing events which are set to take place in Weymouth and neighbouring Portland.

  The structure will be built on the town's Festival Pier and feature a rotating gondola of 12m in diameter capable of accommodating up to 70 passengers - including guests with disabilities and wheelchair passengers - at a time. The gondola, incorporating floor to ceiling windows around its entire circumference, will rotate around the tower as it ascends and descends.

  A total of 29, 60cm concrete piles are being sunk to a depth of 17m at the pier to act as a watertight barrier for the structure's foundations. When complete, the weight of the attraction will be 130 metric tons.   The total investment of the whole project is approximately £3.5m and an official groundbreaking ceremony took place in January, when work on the 7m deep hole for the tower's foundations began.