Two huge chimneys, which have stood tall on the banks of the River Thames for more than 40 years, have been filmed tumbling to the ground after being up.
The 560ft landmarks at Tilbury Power Station, Essex, were brought down in a controlled explosion this morning.
Around 50 people gathered at the riverside as the chimneys came crashing down in less than ten seconds, causing an almighty boom.
They were erected at the coal-powered plant in 1969 and were visible from miles away as they pumped smoke out across the river.
The 560ft landmarks were erected at the coal-powered Tilbury Power station in 1969
The power station was operational until 2011, when owner energy company RWE was granted permission to convert the plant to a biomass station.
It re-opened in 2012 but suffered a major fire months later.
More than 120 firefighters battles the blaze after between 4,000 and 6,000 tonnes of fuel went up in smoke.
The fire broke out in one of the building’s top floors, making it difficult to tackle.
The Essex fire brigade had to draft in a helicopter to help tackle the inferno, in addition to 15 fire engines and three aerial platforms.
A year later it was reported that the station was to close, resulting in 220 job losses. It generated its final unit of electricity on August 13, 2013.
In 2016 RWE sold part of the site for redevelopment and hired contractor Brown and Mason to begin demolishing the power station buildings on the land it still owned.
The towers were brought tumbling to the ground in a controlled explosion this morning
Around 50 people gathered at the riverside as the chimneys came crashing down in less than ten seconds
The company said in August it had taken ‘initial planning steps’ towards turning the old site into a gas-fired power station and a battery storage facility.
The plan would require the construction of a three-kilometre gas pipeline to connect the plant to the transmission network.
A planning application is due to be submitted in late 2018, following a series of environmental surveys and a promised ‘meaningful consultation with the local community’.
Yesterday’s controlled explosion marked the site’s seventh controlled explosive demolition.
Other main structures such as the coal bunker houses are scheduled for explosive demolition later this year, with the whole station gone by the end of 2018.