Westminster City Council (WCC) has approved plans to install a large clock in Trafalgar Square, which will count down the hours to the 2012 Olympic and Paralympics.

The proposals will see a clock measuring 6.5m (21.3ft) tall, 4m (13.1ft) wide and 1m (3.3ft) thick provide a two-sided countdown - one to the Olympic Games and the other to the Paralympic Games. Located near steps leading up to the square's North Terrace, the clock will be sponsored by manufacturer Omega and is the brainchild of the London 2012 organising committee.

WCC deputy leader Robert Davis said: "I can think of no more fitting or iconic place for a countdown clock to stand than Trafalgar Square, a place associated so strongly with this country's victories."