A topping-out ceremony has been held at the site of the new £25m Hornchurch Leisure Centre, scheduled to open later this year.

The centre is being delivered in partnership by Havering Council, Everyone Active – which will operate the venue – and Metnor Construction.

Facilities at the centre will include a 25m, eight-lane swimming pool, a 20m learning and diving pool with movable floor, a health and fitness suite with more than 100 stations, three group exercise studios and multi-use sports and activity halls.

The project has involved the partial demolition of the old Hornchurch leisure centre and construction of the new facility. The existing centre has been kept open for residents while construction takes place on the new complex.

The new centre is part of the council's huge investment in leisure and sport facilities in the area, which includes Sapphire Ice & Leisure in Romford.

Since opening in February 2018, Sapphire Ice & Leisure has attracted more than one million visitors and was crowned Civic Building of the Year in the SPACES Awards for its use of space and high building quality.

“It’s fantastic to see the next stages of our new Hornchurch Sports Centre coming together," said Tom Fletcher, area contract manager at Everyone Active.

"We’re confident that this investment will provide high-quality sports and recreational services for the whole community."