Plans to move a 9/11 memorial sculpture to the Olympic Park have been welcomed by a Newham MP who said she was “staggered” by the way the sculpture has been neglected.

Lyn Brown, MP for West Ham, said she was pleased the sculpture would be moving to the park in Newham after what she described as a “tawdry affair” that has failed to treat the piece with respect.

The proposal by London Mayor Boris Johnson to display the 9/11 sculpture in the Olympic Park was announced on Monday 9 after it was found rusting in a farmyard in Cambridgeshire.

The 28 foot sculpture is made of steel girders from the wreckage of the Twin Towers and was shipped from New York as a permanent reminder of the horrors of 9/11, which took place 12 years ago last week.

Ms Brown said: “I was frankly staggered and dismayed that a memorial to the deaths of thousands of innocent people, including Britons, could have been treated in such a way.

“I assume that this piece was donated to us, in Britain, with the expectation that we would treat it with respect and dignity. This we have clearly failed to do.

She added: “I am pleased to see that this poignant piece is coming to the Olympic Park given that the Olympics is a movement which seeks to spread peace and harmony amongst the nations of the world. It is a fitting end to a tawdry affair.”

Newham Council declined to say if it welcomed the proposals or when it was notified about them, but said it was working with the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC), which confirmed it was liaising with the council.

A council spokesman said: “It is right that the future of this important sculpture is handled with sensitivity. We are working closely with the LLDC to ensure a suitable and fitting home within Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.”

The Mayor of London said on Monday that finding a home for the piece had “proved incredibly difficult” and he has asked his team to find a “permanent home” for it in the Olympic Park.

He said: “The Park was home to a Games based on tolerance, harmony and respect, and will soon be home to a massive multi-dimensional and vibrant community - the perfect riposte to those who sought to divide the world on 9/11.”