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| Blast demolishes landmark towers | |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Two iconic concrete cooling towers in South Yorkshire have been demolished in a controlled explosion. | |
| Millions of drivers passed the 250ft (76m) towers by the Tinsley viaduct on the M1 at Sheffield over the decades. | Millions of drivers passed the 250ft (76m) towers by the Tinsley viaduct on the M1 at Sheffield over the decades. |
| At 0300 BST the blast to reduce the "salt and pepper pots" to rubble left part of the north tower still standing but it has since collapsed. | |
| The Highways Agency said the motorway remains closed as planned while safety checks are carried out. | |
| The blast was watched by several thousand people and the M1 motorway had to be closed from midnight on Saturday, between junctions 32 and 35. | |
| The towers stood only feet away from the twin-deck Tinsley viaduct, which carries the motorway on the top deck and the A631 on its lower deck. | The towers stood only feet away from the twin-deck Tinsley viaduct, which carries the motorway on the top deck and the A631 on its lower deck. |
| A joint statement from tower owner E.ON and the Highways Agency said: "The demolition has now been successfully completed. | |
| "The viaduct remains closed and the exclusion zone remains in place as planned to allow safety checks to continue." | |
| A BBC reporter at the scene says the pile of rubble left after the explosion has gradually fallen in on itself and reduced significantly in height. | |
| The towers were both supposed to have been brought down, but after dust settled, about half of the north tower could still be seen standing. | The towers were both supposed to have been brought down, but after dust settled, about half of the north tower could still be seen standing. |
| Paul Scriven, leader of Sheffield City Council, said: "The expectation here of people who were feeling, whether they were for or against the tower, the expectation of it coming down and an old chapter ending and a new one beginning, suddenly has turned to concernThe blast brought down the south tower and part of the north tower | Paul Scriven, leader of Sheffield City Council, said: "The expectation here of people who were feeling, whether they were for or against the tower, the expectation of it coming down and an old chapter ending and a new one beginning, suddenly has turned to concernThe blast brought down the south tower and part of the north tower |
| "Particularly... what does this mean for the M1, can the M1 reopen, what does it mean in terms of getting the rest of that half of the tower down, because it's not a small amount that's still standing. | "Particularly... what does this mean for the M1, can the M1 reopen, what does it mean in terms of getting the rest of that half of the tower down, because it's not a small amount that's still standing. |
| "What I understand is that a little bit more of the tower has now fallen in on itself and work on the site to get it down as fast as possible has already started." | "What I understand is that a little bit more of the tower has now fallen in on itself and work on the site to get it down as fast as possible has already started." |
| Despite campaigns to save the towers, which were the only remnants of the Blackburn Meadows power station, E.ON said it was destroying them as the 70-year-old structures had deteriorated. | Despite campaigns to save the towers, which were the only remnants of the Blackburn Meadows power station, E.ON said it was destroying them as the 70-year-old structures had deteriorated. |
| Emily Highmore, from E.ON, said preserving the towers would have been very expensive. | Emily Highmore, from E.ON, said preserving the towers would have been very expensive. |
| "They would require a very, very significant investment and fundamentally speaking we are an energy company and our job is to keep people's lights on." | "They would require a very, very significant investment and fundamentally speaking we are an energy company and our job is to keep people's lights on." |
| Nowhere else in the world has anyone sought to bring down similar structures that sit so close to a major highway viaduct Arthur Ashburner, Highways Agency The firm has been given permission to build a £60m biomass power station at the site. | Nowhere else in the world has anyone sought to bring down similar structures that sit so close to a major highway viaduct Arthur Ashburner, Highways Agency The firm has been given permission to build a £60m biomass power station at the site. |
| Arthur Ashburner, from the Highways Agency, said: "This demolition is a unique situation and as far as we are aware, nowhere else in the world has anyone sought to bring down similar structures that sit so close to a major highway viaduct. | Arthur Ashburner, from the Highways Agency, said: "This demolition is a unique situation and as far as we are aware, nowhere else in the world has anyone sought to bring down similar structures that sit so close to a major highway viaduct. |
| "We will carry out a series of checks to ensure that there has been no damage to the viaduct, which in itself may take several hours. | "We will carry out a series of checks to ensure that there has been no damage to the viaduct, which in itself may take several hours. |
| "We will reopen the road only when we are entirely satisfied that it is safe to do so." | "We will reopen the road only when we are entirely satisfied that it is safe to do so." |
| It is thought the motorway may reopen on Sunday afternoon. | It is thought the motorway may reopen on Sunday afternoon. |
| Some locals had tried to save the cooling towers and have them turned into art. | Some locals had tried to save the cooling towers and have them turned into art. |
| Campaigner Tom Keeley said: "You see very few cooling towers that are in quite such a visible position, they're 12 metres from the M1, and they kind of symbolise not only a gateway to Sheffield and Yorkshire but they also symbolise a gateway to the North." | Campaigner Tom Keeley said: "You see very few cooling towers that are in quite such a visible position, they're 12 metres from the M1, and they kind of symbolise not only a gateway to Sheffield and Yorkshire but they also symbolise a gateway to the North." |
| Were you at the blast? Has the failed demolition affected your journey on the M1? Send us your comments by filling in the form below. | Were you at the blast? Has the failed demolition affected your journey on the M1? Send us your comments by filling in the form below. |
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