The design is so energy efficient it will cost just 3.6p each time it opens to allow shipping through. During daylight hours the bridge will be coloured white with a hint of blue while at night a lighting system will throw its reflection onto the Tyne.The council chose the joint design by Gifford and Partners and Chris Wilkinson Architects after a competition It's expected to become a major tourist attraction. "Each time it opens will be a spectacle," said Mr Gill.In an attempt to guarantee this Millennium project escapes the mishaps that have plagued so many other schemes, a series of steel piles have been placed on either side of the bridge site to prevent it being hit. Even so, it has been built to withstand a collision from a 4,000-ton ship travelling at four knots. Nor, presumably, will it wobble - unlike its London counterpart.Last week engineers estimated that it could cost £5m and take another six months to ensure those crossing from Tate Modern to St Paul's Cathedral are not overcome by nausea on the way.

Arup Engineering, which designed the bridge together with the architect Lord Foster and sculptor Sir Anthony Caro - the original idea was sketched out on the back of a napkin - said it was confident it would be able to stabilise the bridge by using two types of dampers, which will work as shock absorbers.. The Church of England will attack the holding of teenagers in Britain's adult jails this week, describing them as "warehouses" of damaged children. A report published by the Children's Society, a charitable wing of the Church, will say that prison can wreck young lives, depriving them of hope. The Church of England will attack the holding of teenagers in Britain's adult jails this week, describing them as "warehouses" of damaged children. A report published by the Children's Society, a charitable wing of the Church, will say that prison can wreck young lives, depriving them of hope. The chairman of the report, the Right Rev Robert Hardy, Bishop of Lincoln and Bishop for Prisons, said that jail is the wrong place for many of the 15- to 18-year-olds held on remand, waiting for trial "Prison isn't the place for them, fundamentally," he said. "They could come out of prison more hardened than when they go in ... We have got to offer people hope, especially young people."We have got to get away from stigmatising young people and to have a richer response than prison, which isn't always the answer," he said.

"We have all got to get involved in helping those who come out [of prisons] through new initiatives and through local schools."Locking up thousands of young people is "a waste of youthful energy" which could be more constructively used by, for example, making amends to victims. He called on the Government to review the issue and ask what kind of support is most appropriate for teenagers in remand.This is not the first time that the Church of England has entered the debate on youth custody. Its ruling body, the General Synod, said last November that it welcomed efforts to prevent 15- and 16-year-olds being remanded into prison custody, by offering alternatives in the community.. Shoppers paying by cheque or credit card are having to leave their thumbprints behind in the latest scheme to combat high-street fraud. Shoppers paying by cheque or credit card are having to leave their thumbprints behind in the latest scheme to combat high-street fraud. The simplicity of the new security system, which is cheap and so far proving to be an effective deterrent, has delighted police and traders alike.It is operating in about 1,000 stores across the country including 45 at the Bluewater complex in Kent, Europe's largest shopping centre.Credit-card fraud has been a key growth area for criminals. In the 12 months to April, according to estimates, it rose to £226m - an increase from £189m the previous year.But the thumbprint scheme perturbs human-rights campaigners, who say it is an infringement of civil liberties.The system requires shoppers paying by cheque or credit card to press their thumbs on an inkless disc pad and leave a thumbprint on either the back of the cheque or the credit card slip.