Birds-eye view shows progress on Smethwick's £73 million Aquatics Centre

Work is currently ongoing to build the Aquatics Centre in Smethwick, Sandwell, which will cost £73million.

And its waters - which will be cool just like its price tag - will host some of the world's best athletes in two years time, when the Commonwealth Games 2022 take place in Birmingham.

Springing from the ground up, contractors are currently piecing together the state-of-the-art facility.

When the building work is finished, the site will be equipped with a 50m-long Olympic-sized swimming pool.

Despite the coronavirus pandemic, Sandwell Council says the project should be completed by Spring 2022.

Work was temporarily stopped for 24 hours in March so safety measures could be put in place.

Drone photographs, taken by the Express & Star, show the site on Londonderry Playing Fields looking like a large building site.

The foundations have been laid for the buildings. Heavy machinery, including mobile cranes, are on site to help with the construction work.

Alongside the Olympic-sized swimming pool, the site will feature a 25m diving pool, community swimming pool and permanent seating for 1,000 people.

Additional seating is being brought in for the Commonwealth Games.

Other facilities will include a dry dive area, activity studios, sports halls and a fitness suite. There will also be a football pitch and an urban park on site.

After the Commonwealth Games, the Aquatics Centre will be available for use by the local community.

Council bosses have heralded the site as a prized asset. But local residents have complained about the site's location on Londonderry Playing Fields.

The cost of the project is being met by a number of organisations including the council, the Government, the Black Country Local Enterprise Partnership, Sport England, and Sandwell Leisure Trust.