Sellafield towers destroyed

A major piece of Britain’s industrial heritage crumbled to the ground at precisely 9am today.

The first two of four 88 metre high cooling towers at Sellafield in Cumbria were exploded as part of the Calder Hall site’s decommissioning.

A massive cloud of dust blew out over the Irish Sea as one of the UK's most recognisable landscapes was changed forever.

Only four minutes later the final pair of giant cooling towers were detonated as hundreds of residents watched from advantage points around the Sellafield site.

He said: "It is a historic day, but it is a day that is bringing together a lot of hard work, a lot of effort and a lot of technical challenges.

“It has all come to fruition.

“It looks like two minutes’ worth of work today but it has taken three years to get to this point.

“We have had to prove the method and safety of the site.

“There were 150 stakeholders to discuss this with including local farmers, the regulators and the local community.”