The footprint of Wolverhampton’s new £22.5 million bus station is starting to take shape.

After weeks of demolition, footings for the new station can now be seen, a clear signal of work forging ahead on the project.

Heavy machinery, cranes and diggers dominate the site, where the foundations of the new station are being sunk into the ground.

Every vestige of the former station has now been knocked down.

The new 19-stand bus station will also include a pedestrian bridge linking it to the nearby rail station.

It is expected to take around 15 months to complete and will boast a glass entrance, stands, enclosed waiting areas, electronic information points and CCTV.

Bosses from the West Midlands Passenger Transport Authority Centro have hailed it as an “iconic gateway for the city”.

Masonry and glass from the nearby Piper’s Row house, which is being demolished bit-by-bit, will be recycled and used to create the foundations for the new station.

Wolverhampton’s old station closed at the beginning of April causing buses to be relocated to temporary stops around the city.

But traders in Queen Street hit out at the move, claiming trade has dropped dramatically since work began.

They handed a 240-name petition to the city council demanding a public inquiry into the project and said that they had not been adequately consulted.

But calls for a public inquiry were turned down, after councillors sided with highways officers who said they had made every effort to consult with traders.