Thousand of bells ring out in Britain

LONDON, July 27 (UPI) -- Thousands of bells rang out across Britain Friday to mark the official start of the Olympic Games, organizers said.

The firing of cannons on the HMS Belfast started the bell ringing off at 8:12 a.m. Friday. The chorus of church bells, door bells, bicycle bells and other noise makers was led by Big Ben, which rang 40 times in three minutes, the BBC reported.

The event was dreamed up by British artist and musician Martin Creed who called the cacophony "a brilliant and amazing sound."

The Olympic flame has completed its 8,000-mile relay around Britain, sailing Thursday down the Thames on the royal rowbarge Gloriana before arriving at Olympic stadium in Stratford where it will be used the light the Olympic cauldron Friday night during an opening ceremony that is expected to be viewed by a global television audience of some 1 billion, The Daily Telegraph said.