Waste on an Olympian scale! £335,000 of taxpayers' money goes on giant toadstools sculpture in muddy Dorset field to mark London games.
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From an artistic point of view, it doesn't look like a medal contender.
And at a cost of £335,000 to the taxpayer, this Olympic sculpture might not win any prizes for value for money either.
The 17 sandstone boulders mounted on 8ft stainless steel poles are being built in a muddy field in Weymouth, Dorset, near where the Olympic sailing events will be held.
The designers say they will 'inspire' people who see them in the run-up to the Games, and represent the 'dramatic' coastline. The formation of the pillars is supposed to represent a flock of birds or shoal of fish.
But critics have compared the structure to a ring of giant toadstools or lollipops. They also fear the work, built next to a busy dual carriageway, will distract motorists.
One resident commented on an online forum: 'Government debt has just gone through the £1trillion barrier.
'Obviously deeper cuts still have to be made. 'How can we waste £335,405 on this rubbish?’ Another posted: 'Can I have the equivalent council tax refunded please and let the councillors pay for this folly out of their own pockets?' A third wrote: 'This a a lot of money for some rocks, landscaping, poles, a few plants and a huge artist's fee.'
The work is being funded by the Arts Council England, which is funded by the Government and the National Lottery, and Dorset council.
The sandstone boulders date back 155million years and weigh between two and nine tons each. An Arts Council spokesman said: 'The vast majority of the cost of the project covered the expense of moving the stones and construction work. 'Only a small proportion went direct to the artist.'
LONDON 2012: WHAT'S THE COST?
In December the head of the National Audit Office warned of the risk of the government exceeding its Olympics budget of £9.3billion.
This figure includes the build of the venues and the £600million police and security budget. The government has just allocated an extra £41million (with a £7million contingency) from this budget to Locog to pay for the Opening Ceremony, which is set to cost £81million total.
Locog has also been allocated £271m to pay for venue security. The figure also includes £2.8m for Games Time Testing, £35m to convert the stadium after the event and £35m for tourism campaigns.
However Sky Sports investigators drew figures from freedom of information requests and public documents to reveal the cost to the public purse could be as much as £24bn. Highlights of the investigation include the £766m cost of the land used for the venues. Legacy programmes are also set to hit £826m, while the Olympic Park Legacy Company is set to cost £300m.
Then there's the tube drivers who receive extra pay during the games. 13,000 of them will each get £500 each bringing that bill to £6.5m. And what about the quangos? UK Sport received a £29m injection from Andy Burnham in 2008 because of the Olympic Games. Sport England has used some of a £22million handout to measure Legacy work.
Transport for London spent £2.5million taking 30,000 staff on a tour of the Olympic Park, according to the Sky investigation. While so-called 'London Ambassadors' - who will meet and greet tourists, will cost: £3.5million.
It was also revealed that councils across Britain have spent nearly £11.4m on torch relay and other Olympic themed events. But not all local authorities responded to requests for information so this figure could be higher. Local councils have spent £407,102 on tickets.