Brighton i360: 'Tallest tower' is uncovered on seafront

Brighton has been given its first clear glimpse of England's tallest viewing platform outside London.

The jacking frame that surrounded the slender i360 seafront structure as it was constructed has been removed.

The 162m (531ft) tower is made up of 17 tubes stacked on top of each other.

Images of the observation pod that will take people up to a height of 138m (453ft) have also been revealed by developers.

'Engineering marvel'

The i360 has been designed by the team behind the London Eye.

The pod, which will carry up to 200 people, is currently being constructed near Lyon, France.

Developers hope the tower will attract at least 700,000 visitors per year, making it the city's most popular paid-for attraction.

Chief executive of the Brighton i360, Eleanor Harris, said: "It is incredible to see the tower standing without the jacking tower.

"Now you get a real sense of why the i360 is the slimmest tall tower ever built in the world; it is a real marvel of engineering."

The pod is being built by the firm which constructed the London Eye capsules

A total of 17 tubes, just under four metres wide, have been stacked on top of each of other on Brighton beach

The i360 tower on the beach end of the site of the ruined West Pier