Didcot: Power Station Demolished

27 July 2014, 08:31 | Updated: 27 July 2014, 09:45

Three historic towers were demolished today after dominating the Didcot skyline for more than four decades.

The three southern towers of Didcot A power station in Oxfordshire were brought down by more than 180kg of explosives in a matter of seconds. Hundreds of locals are thought to have defied the guidance issued by power company RWE npower to stay away from the site and watch the demolition via a webcam livestream.

Best of the demolition videos from around the internet

The decision to demolish the towers in the early hours of the morning angered some locals, with a petition to change the timing gaining more than 3,000 signatures.

The town council had also expressed its disappointment  but npower said the timeslot between 3am and 5am had been chosen on health and safety grounds, taking into account the risk of people getting too close to the explosion, and the impact of the dust cloud on local roads and a nearby rail line.

Warning sirens were sounded 15 and then 10 minutes before the explosion at 5am. During the build-up to the explosion #DidcotDemolition was trending on Twitter, and one Oxfordshire resident said: "This has gotta be Didcot's most momentous occasion since we won the FA vase".

As many as 1,500 people gathered at nearby Wittenham Clumps to watch the action unfold, the Oxford Mail reported in a liveblog on its website. For those who chose to watch the demolition online there were some technological gripes. One local tweeted: "The demolition cam is very intermittent... what are the odds it's offline at the crucial moment? #DidcotDemolition."

The coal-fired power station ceased generating in March last year after dominating the skyline around the town since 1970, with the neighbouring gas-fired Didcot B continuing. The towers' appearance was not universally appreciated with many people finding them an eyesore.