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| Tower fails to fall in explosion | Tower fails to fall in explosion |
| (10 minutes later) | |
| A controlled blast has failed to demolish a large part of one of two landmark concrete cooling towers in South Yorkshire. | A controlled blast has failed to demolish a large part of one of two landmark concrete cooling towers in South Yorkshire. |
| The towers at Tinsley viaduct were familiar to millions of drivers on the M1 at Sheffield for decades. | The towers at Tinsley viaduct were familiar to millions of drivers on the M1 at Sheffield for decades. |
| At 0300 BST the blast to reduce the "salt and pepper pots" to rubble left part of the north tower still standing. | At 0300 BST the blast to reduce the "salt and pepper pots" to rubble left part of the north tower still standing. |
| Sheffield City Council said something had "clearly gone wrong". It is unclear when the shut M1 motorway will reopen. | Sheffield City Council said something had "clearly gone wrong". It is unclear when the shut M1 motorway will reopen. |
| 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 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. It's not a small amount that's still standing Paul Scriven, leader of Sheffield City Council | 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. It's not a small amount that's still standing Paul Scriven, leader of Sheffield City Council |
| The 250ft (76m) 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 250ft (76m) 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 concern. | 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 concern. |
| "Particularly... what does this mean for the M1, can the M1 re-open, 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 re-open, 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." |
| Despite campaigns to save the towers, which were the only remnants of the Blackburn Meadows power station, energy firm E.ON said it was destroying them as the the 70-year-old structures had deteriorated. | Despite campaigns to save the towers, which were the only remnants of the Blackburn Meadows power station, energy firm E.ON said it was destroying them as the the 70-year-old structures had deteriorated. |
| 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. |
| 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." |
| 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." |
| He said the M1 would not reopen immediately after the demolition. | He said the M1 would not reopen immediately after the demolition. |
| "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." |
| 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." | |
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