The first 245ft blade for the new East Anglia ONE windfarm has been built.

It is the first of 306 blades that will be deployed as part of the project which is set to generate enough power for more than 600,000 British homes.

East Anglia ONE is two collections of turbines starting in the north off the coast of Lowestoft and stretching down beyond Southwold.

Two further projects have been agreed to add more turbines further north off the Norfolk coast and closer to the shore in Suffolk.

The fibre glass blade has been manufactured by the 850-strong team at Siemens Gamesa's factory at Green Port Hull.

Inspection of the blade, and sign-off by the East Anglia ONE project team, was completed last week. With the blades comparable in length to the wingspan of an Airbus A380, this feat of engineering forms part of the major contract between leading wind energy producer ScottishPower Renewables and Siemens Gamesa.

Charlie Jordan, East Anglia ONE project director for ScottishPower Renewables, said: 'The manufacture of the first blade from Hull is a fantastic milestone in the development of our windfarm, signalling the start of turbine installation.

'East Anglia ONE will soon be producing clean, renewable energy for the UK, helping to meet the nation's carbon reduction targets.

'The fabrication of the blades from Siemens Gamesa's facility in Hull further demonstrates our commitment to spending over 50 percent of the project investment in the UK, ensuring the benefits of East Anglia ONE are felt across the country.'

The first turbines are expected to be installed in the coming months and electricity should be generated by the end of the year.