Work has got underway to give Tinseltown's most iconic landmark, the Hollywood sign, a spring clean ahead of its 90th birthday next year.

The sign, which is located on the Hollywood hills in Los Angeles, is being given a new coat of paint for the first time in 35 years.

"We have to put on 2,700 pounds of paint on nine letters which is about fifteen houses worth of paint," said Chris Baumgart, from the Hollywood Sign Trust.

The facelift is expected to take eight to ten weeks to complete, during which time it will be stripped down to sheet metal, primed and given its new coat.