The Eiffel Tower has grown by nearly 20ft (six metres) after engineers hoisted a new communications antenna at the very top of the monument in the French capital.

Tourists watched from the Trocadero esplanade as the new digital radio antenna was taken up by helicopter.

With the installation of the new antenna, the Eiffel Tower grew from 1,063ft (324 metres) tall to 1,083ft (330 metres).

The Eiffel Tower company’s president, Jean-Francois Martins, told The Associated Press that scientific progress is an integral part of the Iron Lady’s 133-year history.

“It’s a historical moment this morning, because the Eiffel Tower is getting higher, which is not so common,” he said.

“From the invention of the radio at the beginning of the 20th century to right now, decades after decades, the Eiffel Tower has been a partner for all the radio technology,” Mr Martins said.

The Eiffel Tower was 1,024ft (312 metres) high when it was inaugurated on March 31 1889.