A Black Country beauty spot may get a tourist boost with £2.5 million plans for dozens of new play areas.

An £800,000 adventure playground will be built in Sandwell Valley which will be free to use and is expected to attract large numbers from the area and beyond.

It will also be used to train rangers and other staff. Another 28 play areas are being built at other spots across Sandwell, with residents set to be asked for their views on where they want to see them set up.

The Express & Star revealed yesterday that Sandwell Council will get a grant of £2m for new facilities plus a further Government £500,000 for costs such as safety training and recruiting staff.

Play areas are expected to be finished by March 2011. At least 22 have to be free and open to the public while up to six may be within grounds of existing buildings such as children’s centres.

Sandwell Council is one of 10 councils to successfully bid for funding under the Government’s Play Pathfinder Project, with the council expected to meet future maintenance costs of up to £80,000 a year.

The council cabinet gave formal backing to plans announced by youth chief Councillor Ian Jones at a meeting on Wednesday.

Council leader Councillor Bill Thomas said: “The provision of an adventure playground in Sandwell Valley will give the valley as a leisure destination a major boost.

“It will attract a much wider age range of people to go there.”