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| Version 3 | Version 4 |
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| Didcot power station towers demolished | Didcot power station towers demolished |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Three disused cooling towers at Didcot A Power Station have been demolished with more than 180kg of explosives. | |
| The explosion, which flattened 36,000 tonnes of material, lasted less than a minute and was streamed live online. | |
| Hundreds of people defied advice to stay away from the site and gathered to watch the towers come down, despite warnings of a huge dust cloud. | |
| The decision to carry out the demolition before sunrise has been criticised by some residents. | The decision to carry out the demolition before sunrise has been criticised by some residents. |
| Mark Coleman, managing director of demolition firm Coleman and Company, tweeted: #DidcotDemolition well done to all involved. A professional textbook job. Thank you to all the locals. I hope you enjoyed it #teamwork | |
| Many people camped out all night or got up early to watch the towers come down online. | |
| Gilliam Miles said: "Up at 2am and watched it from Ladygrove with hundreds of others - emotional moment. Will miss them." | |
| Tina Banham said: "They went down so quickly - we were watching a water vole whilst waiting in Appleford, heard the explosion and they seemed to be down in seconds. Could have missed it had explosion not been so loud." | |
| Stuart Kerry added: "I saw them being built when I was young and now have seen them come down via the internet live here in the USA." | |
| Spectators had been advised to stay away from the "difficult to access" site and watch the event online instead. | Spectators had been advised to stay away from the "difficult to access" site and watch the event online instead. |
| For those determined to witness the event, Earth Trust opened its car park at Wittenham Clumps, while First Great Western also offered free parking at its Foxhall Road car park. | For those determined to witness the event, Earth Trust opened its car park at Wittenham Clumps, while First Great Western also offered free parking at its Foxhall Road car park. |
| Residents wanting the explosion to take place in the daylight "for everyone to see" had set up a Facebook page and petition, which received 700 signatures. | Residents wanting the explosion to take place in the daylight "for everyone to see" had set up a Facebook page and petition, which received 700 signatures. |
| But Guy Esnouf, NPower's director of communications, said experts including the Health and Safety Executive, Thames Valley Police and Network Rail had advised an early time. | But Guy Esnouf, NPower's director of communications, said experts including the Health and Safety Executive, Thames Valley Police and Network Rail had advised an early time. |
| He said: "We had 180kg of high explosives. That is an awful lot and you clearly don't want people and explosives near together. Safety has to come first." | He said: "We had 180kg of high explosives. That is an awful lot and you clearly don't want people and explosives near together. Safety has to come first." |
| Following the explosion, a clean up operation has started to clear the area of dust, including the nearby railway line. | Following the explosion, a clean up operation has started to clear the area of dust, including the nearby railway line. |
| Network Rail said it been assured by energy company RWE NPower, which runs the site, that "the railway line can reopen safely at 07:00". | Network Rail said it been assured by energy company RWE NPower, which runs the site, that "the railway line can reopen safely at 07:00". |
| Homes and gardens being covered in dust had caused concern among some local residents living in nearby Foxhall Manor Park. | Homes and gardens being covered in dust had caused concern among some local residents living in nearby Foxhall Manor Park. |
| But Kieran Conarty from Coleman and Company said there would be "a series of jet washes to clean footpaths, buildings, roofs". | But Kieran Conarty from Coleman and Company said there would be "a series of jet washes to clean footpaths, buildings, roofs". |
| "Behind that there will be a series of road sweepers and behind that will be a series of operatives literally picking up the pieces." | "Behind that there will be a series of road sweepers and behind that will be a series of operatives literally picking up the pieces." |