CRYSTAL Leisure Centre is to get the lion's share of a £1m upgrade to Dudley sports facilities.

The Stourbridge centre scooped around £650,000 for improvements to their fitness suite from the latest council spending round of £1.2m.

The cash will be spent on increasing the size of the gym plus adding new pieces of equipment at the Bell Street site.

Feasibility work has been completed and a council spokesman confirmed leisure chiefs aim to complete the re-vamp by the end of 2007.

The remaining cash will be distributed between other centres in the borough with Halesowen Leisure Centre receiving £250,000 and Dudley Leisure Centre getting £300,000.

Bosses hope the new facilities will boost membership numbers at the centre which has faced technical troubles and staff shortages during the last few years.

A similar upgrade in Halesowen last year helped swell membership numbers from 200 to 700 in just 12 months.

Cllr Charles Fraser-Macnamara, cabinet member for leisure and culture, said: "This £1.2m investment will help improve facilities for the benefit of all users.

"The impact of the impressive improvements already made at Halesowen has been excellent and we hope these new works will be equally as successful."

Existing facilities at the centre include two swimming pools, a climbing wall, a projectile room plus squash and badminton courts.