Big Ben will chime at midnight on New Year's Eve with its iconic big bongs, the British Parliament has confirmed. The coming year will herald the 160th anniversary of one of the world's best known clocks.

Exactly at midnight, the Big Ben will ring 12 times, replicating the usual strike rate of 4.5 seconds. For this, a bespoke electric mechanism has been built to power the 200 kg striking hammered.