Construction workers backed by German police have removed a section of the Berlin Wall to make way for a building project, despite calls for the historic site to be preserved.

Residents expressed shock at the removal of the East Side Gallery, as that section is known, which followed a series of protests, including one attended by the actor David Hasselhoff.

A police spokesman, Alexander Tönnies, said there were no incidents as work had begun at about 5am to take down four sections of the wall, each about 1.2 metres wide, to make way for an access route to the planned high-rise luxury flats along the Spree river.

The East Side Gallery is the longest remaining stretch of the Berlin Wall. Construction staff removed a piece earlier this month but a public outcry halted building work, with local politicians saying they would look for a way to keep the rest of the wall intact.

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