PRESS ASSOCIATION -- A ceiling tile smashed in front of London mayor Boris Johnson as he opened a £1.4 billion shopping centre that is to be a gateway to the London Olympics.

The tile dropped 30ft at the Westfield Stratford City shopping centre in east London near a stage where pop star Nicole Scherzinger had just performed live as part of the star-studded opening ceremony.

Mr Johnson, who had been giving a radio interview at the time, brushed off the incident, saying: "They have worked flat-out down here and whatever has happened over there (where the roof tile fell), I'm sure will be investigated and cleared up as soon as possible."

The building, Europe's largest urban shopping centre, officially opened its doors to the public on Tuesday.

It is home to more than 300 shops, 70 restaurants, a 14-screen cinema, three hotels, a bowling alley and the UK's largest casino.

The large tile - roughly 5ft by 2.5ft - dropped 30ft to the ground, shattering on impact.

One witness said it fell from the ceiling at the top of the three-storey mall, hitting the ground opposite the centre's newly-opened HMV store.

The mayor escaped injury and no one else was hurt.

After the incident, security staff cordoned off the area while cleaners hurried in to clear up the debris.