THE new Wembley Stadium arch, constructed in the North-East, has been raised into its final resting place.

Cleveland Bridge, of Darlington, has been building the 1,700-tonne structure for the past year.

It was secured into its final home by a team of 60 workers on Monday and lit up for the first time after England's 4-2 win against Croatia in Euro 2004.

Brian Rogan, deputy managing director of Cleveland Bridge, said it was one of the most challenging feats of engineering carried out.

"It is unique because something like this has never been done before," he said. "It's a fantastic achievement for North-East industry and shows that we are still the world leaders."

The arch sits at an angle of 112 degrees, is 315m wide, 134m high and is made up of 5,000 separate components.

More than 300 Cleveland Bridge workers have been involved in its creation.

FA officials in Lisbon contacted people at Wembley Stadium to have the arch lit up in a blaze of light as Wayne Rooney scored his second goal on Monday night.

The glowing arch will become a familiar sight to the England players and fans when the stadium opens in less than two years' time.

The England team will return to their spiritual home in 2006 and the arch will be lit up every night the team plays at the stadium.

FA chief executive Mark Palios said: "We wanted to do something special to mark England's progress to the knockout stages of the European Championships for the first time on foreign soil. What better way than to light the new Wembley Arch?"