Construction work has begun on the first of two new leisure centres that were approved as part of Gateshead Council's £29m Building an Active Future programme.

The centre, which is being built in Blaydon, will feature a six-lane, 25m swimming pool, learner pool, health club, multi-use studios and outdoor sport pitches. It will also house health care facilities and will be one of the first such dual-use centres in the UK.

The centre will be built by Willmott Dixon and is scheduled to open to the public in the summer of 2010.

Work on the second new centre, in Heworth, is due to begin in June with completion expected in Winter 2010. Facilities at Heworth will include a 25m, four-lane swimming pool, learner pool, a FlowRider surfing and body-boarding attraction, fitness suite and a boxing gym.

There will also be outdoor changing rooms and a multi-purpose room.

Other centres to benefit from the council's Active Future programme include the Gateshead Leisure Centre, a pre-training camp for London 2012 Olympics, and centres in Dunston and Birtley. All three will undergo complete redevelopments to bring them in line with the two new centres.

Gateshead Council cabinet member for culture, Linda Green, said: "This is an important moment in Gateshead's history, construction projects of this magnitude are a once in a lifetime opportunity to transform the leisure and health services on offer to people in Blaydon and the surrounding communities.

"We believe Gateshead can become a shining example of an active and healthy society but we recognise that the only way to do that is by creating facilities and opportunities that people want to use. This massive investment by Gateshead Council will go a long way to achieving that aim."