The London Eye - at a glance

? It costs £458 to hire one of the 32 pods.

? Celebrities who have had a "flight" include Gwyneth Paltrow, Jude Law, Victoria Beckham (with Brooklyn but not David) and the Countess of Wessex. Neither the Queen nor Tony Blair have travelled.

? Each revolution takes 30 minutes and the wheel turns 7,500 times a year. The wheel is in constant motion from 9.30am until 10pm.

? Last Saturday saw a record attendance of 22,778.

? Security has been breached three times - in October 1999 (it was invaded by people opposing dam projects in India and Spain), in August 2000 (an environmental campaigner climbed it to protest against sanctions in Iraq) and in December 2000 (it was invaded by 45 Kurds protesting about conditions in Turkish jails).

? It was turned pink by Liz Hurley in October 2000 to mark Breast Cancer Awareness Week, red for St Valentine's Day and blue by Helen Baxendale for Christmas 2001.

? New York firefighters and their families were given free trips soon after 11 September.

? It hosted 13 weddings last year and 18 so far this year. A further 16 are planned by the end of September.

? It has featured in an advert for Audi, and Cartier hired a pod in February 2001 and filled it with jewels.