A STONE sculpture of the Olympic Rings is to be put into place this morning outside Weymouth railway station.

The iconic rings have been carved by local stonemasons using world-renowned Portland limestone.

After the Olympic Games, the sculpture will be permanently relocated to the island.

It weighs approximately 9,000kg and will stand 2.5metres tall, one-metre deep and 3.8metres long.

The sculpture will be craned into place at 7.30am and aims to provide an ‘iconic and locally distinctive welcome’ for visitors coming to the Olympic Games sailing events.

The Olympic Rings sculpture, which will be set on to a plinth, is made up of 10 separate stones and took a total of 190 hours to complete.

The sculpture complements a series of improvements being made to the station in partnership with the Olympic Delivery Authority, the South West Trains and Network Rail alliance and Dorset County Council.

Councillor Mike Goodman, Weymouth and Portland Borough Council management committee chairman said: “We are delighted to be able to welcome the world to Weymouth and Portland for the Olympic sailing events against this fantastic backdrop of the Olympic Rings.

“This sculpture will help the town really stand out and will showcase the outstanding craftsmanship of our local stonemasons using world-famous Portland stone.”

Portland stone, favoured for its resistance to the detrimental effects of the weather, has been used extensively as a building material, on structures including St Paul’s Cathedral, Buckingham Palace and the United Nations Headquarters in New York.