BISHOP Auckland would have its own riverside dome if an award-winning design by teenage engineers was ever built.

Ideas from young engineers at St John's RC School won them the £500 first prize in an Enterprise in Construction Challenge competition.

The team, led by teacher Paula Watson, designed an entertainment complex containing a cinema, bowling alley and restaurant for a site on the banks of the Wear close to Newton Cap viaduct

The students, all in Year 10 and studying GCSE Graphics, formed their own company called Gtec Design, creating a logo and producing a brochure.

They all took on roles such as surveyors, engineers and joiners, researched the market and developed mood boards and computer models.

Ferryhill School's design was in second place, with Wolsingham School and Community College third. Two teams from Bishop Barrington also entered.

The competition aims to give pupils the chance to learn more about construction industry careers and is a joint venture between its originators M and M Plasline, of Coundon, and the Construction Industry Training Board, with support from the National Federation of Builders.

Stephen Hughes MEP presented the prizes at Auckland Castle. He said: "The future of the construction industry in the North-East is looking strong and the demand for skilled construction workers has never been greater."