A cruise liner berthed at Royal Albert Dock as it houses Olympics staff is another illustration that the big event is drawing near.

The Braemar, owned by Fred Olsen, will serve as a temporary home for hundreds of key LOCOG staff during the Games.

Also docked in east London is the Gemini which has recently been at Tilbury Docks.

She is in sight of London City Airport and is close to the ExCeL exhibition centre, a key venue for a number of Olympic events.

The cruise liner joins another recent arrival, the Royal Navy’s HMS Ocean, which is docked at Greenwich to provide air security during the Olympic and Paralympic Games with Navy and Army helicopters and snipers.