Dover is to be the first town in England to get a huge television screen - and it could be in place by the end of the month.

The other seven screens throughout the country have all been installed in cities.

Members of Dover District Council's planning committee gave the go-ahead on Thursday night, subject to various conditions being complied with. Permission has been given for five years.

The decision followed a four-hour site visit two days earlier when speakers for and against the proposal gave their views.

The screen, measuring eight by four metres, will be provided free by the London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games, with the local authorities paying its running costs.

It will be situated in the Market Square and will be used to broadcast big sporting and cultural events, as well as the 2010 Winter Olympics and 2012 Olympic Games.

Residents living in the area said they were concerned about noise from the screen and the crowds watching it and an increase in anti-social behaviour.

The county highways officer had expressed concern about its proximity to a road and distraction to motorists.