A glass wall will be built around the base of the Eiffel Tower in Paris to provide extra protection against terrorist attacks, a source in the Paris mayor's office has said.

The structure, which is one of the world's most easily recognisable landmarks, already has protective metal fencing around its base, put up temporarily for the Euro football championship in 2016.

New glass panels around two-and-a-half metres high will be erected around the base of the tower if the plans are approved, the source said.

But the plans need to go through a sites commission and then the environment ministry.

"We have three aims: improve the look, make access easier, and strengthen the protection of visitors and staff," Jean-Francois Martins, a city official, said in a statement.

The project is expected to cost around 20 million Euros (£17 million), le Parisien newspaper said.