Wembley arch on the up

The magnificent steel arch that forms the centrepiece of the new Wembley Stadium is finally being hoisted into place.

Currently surrounded by the cranes that will lift the arch during the next six weeks, the Lord Foster designed stadium will stand taller than the London Eye when completed.

It is hoped that the arch will replace the much-loved twin towers in the nation's affections. It will also enable the construction of the largest single-span roof in the world.

And, by night, the plan is to light it up - with the colour changing with every goal during football matches.

It should already have been in place but welding faults with some of the 500 steel "pins" were discovered in March. Engineers also had to re-lay the foundations for the hangar-shaped arch after they discovered they had used the "wrong" concrete.

But stadium bosses insist they will be ready to host the FA Cup Final in 2006.

The arch will stand at 135 metres tall and 350 metres wide, making the stadium the tallest in the world

The arch weighs 1,700 tonnes. Its main structure comprises 13 20.5-metre steel sections