Three Mills Lock gets lorries off the road

The newly-opened Three Mills Lock on the Prescott Channel will be used by 350 tonne barges to take waste from the Olympic Park to a specialist recycling centre in Rainham, Essex.

Materials set aside for recycling and reuse including timber, cardboard, plastics and packaging will be loaded at a new jetty on the Waterworks River opposite the Aquatic Centre and travel down to the Thames.

British Waterways Director London, Mark Bensted said: "One of the key reasons British Waterways took on the Three Mills Lock project was to see water-borne freight being moved in and out of the Olympic Park.

"Water transport is great way to move materials"

"So this freight movement is a fantastic start for the new lock, proving that where conditions and logistics are right, water transport is a great way to move materials.

"I hope that the lock will help make a real difference, removing lorries from local roads and promoting water transport as a viable option to contractors both in the build up to the Games and in Legacy."