Great Western Coffee Shop

First Great Western is offering free parking for anyone who wants to watch the demolition.

The train operator is allowing free parking at its Foxhall Road car park between midnight on Saturday and 7am on Sunday.

First Great Western Managing Director Mark Hopwood said: ^With three of the iconic cooling towers set to be blown down on Sunday morning, we recognise that many people will wish to view this event first hand.

^Those wishing to watch this great spectacle are welcome to use our car park.^

yes, people's safety

I agree, there is bound to be some cretin who will try to get too close..........if people really get off on watching a chimney fall down in the early hours of the morning I think they probably need help.

It will only be dark because they have decided to do it at night (although the power station is lit at night). There was no need to do that - 6am has been a suggested time in various approaches to NP including by the local MP.

The developer at Great Western Park had started to put together plans for people there but has been warned off. If there are that much safety issues, maybe they need to rethink how they are going about it.

Free parking at Didcot station car park for historic blow down

First Great Western is delighted to announce that it will offer free parking for those wishing to watch the demolition of Didcot power station^s iconic cooling towers.

With the planned demolition set to go ahead this Sunday morning between 3am and 5am, the train operator is allowing free parking at its Foxhall Road car park between midnight on Saturday 27 July and 7am Sunday 28 July.

First Great Western Managing Director Mark Hopwood said: ^With three of the iconic cooling towers set to be ^blown down^ on Sunday morning, we recognise that many people will wish to view this event first hand. Those wishing to watch this great spectacle from Great Western Park are welcome to use our car park, just a short walk away from the safe viewing area.^

Two local organisations have realised their locations are likely to be popular during the demolition, so they^re arranging for people to view it safely from organised viewing areas.

Earth Trust, the charity that looks after Wittenham Clumps, anticipating a lot of people will look for a lofty, panoramic view of the power station, is opening its car park to visitors from midnight on Saturday 26 July to prevent people from parking on the narrow country lanes. 

Taylor Wimpey, the housing developer at Great Western Park in Didcot is also providing a viewing area.  This area is close to the exclusion zone and visitors are asked to note that it could be affected by dust and grit from the demolition. While there is no parking available, people wanting to view from Great Western Park must arrive on foot.

Fortunately First Great Western which manages Didcot station car park has offered its Foxhall Road car park free of charge. It^s a short walk from the car park to Great Western Park.

The demolition contractors are recommending that people stay inside and watch the blow down, which is being streamed live on the internet, from the warmth and safety of their homes. It^s clear though that many people view this as a historic occasion and intend to be there whatever the time.

There are safety issues to be considered if people do intend to go to Didcot and the district councils are asking people to plan their arrangements to take account of road closures and the likely direction of dust clouds.

Vale of White Horse and South Oxfordshire district councils are offering this advice to residents:
^        Don^t try to get close to the towers - get too close and you will probably get covered in and end up breathing in, dust and grit ^ keep your distance.
^        It may be early in the morning but there are likely to be lots of people out on the roads ^ park legally and safely in proper car parks, not on the roadside
^        It will be dark ^ take a torch and wear bright clothing
^        If you are intending to travel to Didcot in a car, park in the main station car park off Foxhall Road, its free from midnight until 7.00am. If you use the car parks in front of the station you will have to pay
^        There will be road closures in place in the areas around the power station. The A4130 from Milton Interchange on the A34 right round to the northern entrance to Southmead business park will be closed from 03.00 to 06.00am, as will Milton Road between the railway and the power station site. Full details of the road closures can be found on the councils^ websites
^        If the two identified viewing areas have reached capacity you will have to go elsewhere. Arrive in good time and consider in advance where to go if your chosen viewing area is full
^        Remember that the cooling towers can be seen from miles away ^ it^s not necessary to try and get close to see the action
^        Above all, be sensible, don^t take risks and look after your friends and family

Cllr Matthew Barber, leader of Vale of White Horse District Council, said: ^This is a symbolic moment for residents in the Vale and indeed across the south-east of England ^ we want people to enjoy the occasion, but it^s really important that they do so safely and securely.^

Cllr Anna Badcock, deputy leader of South Oxfordshire District Council, said: ^We^re really pleased Earth Trust have decided to open their car parks up to residents keen to get a good view of the power station from a good, safe distance.  As they^re a charity, we^ve provided some financial help towards safety arrangements and we ask those going to the Earth Trust to also make a donation^.

yes, people's safety

If they are really worried about people watching from their homes ending up in a dust cloud, I hope they have plans to come round and clear it all up afterwards.

Major fire at Didcot B power station
 
A major fire has broken out at Didcot B Power Station, Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue has said.

The gas-burning power station has been in operation since 1997 and can supply the power to up to one million households, according to energy company RWE npower.

The neighbouring Didcot A power station was closed last year, with three of its enormous cooling towers demolished in July.

Reported to be one of the row of cooling towers at Didcot B that is ablaze.

That's so not cool.  :P

And they ain't no cooling towers either, but seemingly the turbine exhausts. It's hard to see what could burn in an undemolished cooling tower - they are typically brick built, and used to rapidly cool surplus hot water. BNM is right - there are two matched power generators. There always seems to be - I don't now if this means one can run independently, but there will be a big inspection of everything before anyone presses a start button.

I went to see a former bonded tobacco warehouse at Canons Marsh in Bristol get blown up, at 7am one Sunday. It was heaving with people. Friends had a breakfast barbeque. It went down eerily quietly compared to the maroon fired on the rooftop to frighten the birds away, and the whole place began to smell of old Woodbines. There was no attempt to stop people seeing it, and the footage was used as the title sequence for Children in Need's TV appeal. People will always gather to watch such epic demolitions.

Fire crews are battling a major blaze at Didcot B Power Station, Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue has said.

Twenty fire appliances are at the scene, which broke out in one of the cooling towers.

Energy company RWE npower, which owns the gas-burning power station, has said the fire is now under control and there have been no injuries.

Police have warned local people to stay indoors and close their doors and windows.

Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue said 60 firefighters were called to the site. The plant was shut down and all areas isolated before crews moved in to tackle the fire.

It is not being treated as arson, the fire service said.

A spokesman for RWE npower said: "We can confirm that no one is injured which is clearly the most important thing and also that the fire is now under control.

"Obviously the plant has been shut down."

He said it was "too early to say" how much damage had been caused, adding that there would have been "about a dozen" people on site when the fire broke out.


Local people were warned to stay indoors and close doors and windows
Georgina Miles, who lives half a mile away, said the fire was "huge" but the flames had become smaller since firefighters had arrived.

"It was pretty dramatic; there was a lot of damage," Ms Miles said.

Zainab Mirmalek, who lives opposite the power station, said: "There's lots of water gushing down on it, lots of smoke and steam but the fire is definitely under control now."

Fellow Didcot resident Leila Qureshi said: "We got quite near before the road was shut.

"The fire was ferocious. You could feel the heat and smell it."

Emergency service personnel from Buckinghamshire Fire & Rescue Service, Thames Valley Police and the National Police Air Service (NPAS) have all been called in to help with the blaze.

The power station has been in operation since 1997 and can supply power to up to one million homes, according to RWE npower.

The neighbouring coal-powered Didcot A power station was closed last year.

Hundreds of people gathered to watch when three of its enormous cooling towers were demolished in July.

The turbine exhausts are the two large chimneys at Didcot B. The station is of a type known as a Combined Cycle Gas Turbine.
...
Those cooling towers have large fans to draw in air. It could be (pure speculation on my part) that one of the motors for these fans caught fire.

Basic details of the generating process at Didcot B:
http://www.rwe.com/web/cms/mediablob/en/97532/data/97538/4/rwe-npower/about-us/our-businesses/power-generation/didcot/dl-leaf.pdf#page=12

Warmed river water from the condenser passes to 31 low-level cooling towers. The river water passes through side radiators, cascades through plastic packing, and is cooled by a stream of cold air. The air is drawn in by low-noise fans, which are set in the top of the cooling towers.

Indeed they did.  It was 29 May 1988 - and I, too, was there (in an official capacity).  ;)

(http://www.flickr.com/photos/brizzlebornandbred/2077846466/in/photostream/)

(http://www.flickr.com/photos/brizzlebornandbred/2077846428/in/photostream/)

I was there on Brandon Hill that day too. I remember finding it very disconcerting that no-one had thought to post-sync the sound. As FT,N! says, the building crumpled and fell in total silence - and then, just after if hit the deck, you heard the crackling of the explosives that had brought it down. Most odd.

(Before anyone tries to explain: Yes I do understand that light travels a bit quicker than sound...  ::) )

What's really odd is that not just every film or TV drama, but science even  documentaries and news footage of big distant explosions is often re-synced to bring the bang forwards. So you learn to expect the impossible.

It's probably getting to be the same with crashing vehicles - you almost expect them to flip into slo-mo after the initial impact. And while the sync on explosions may be harmless, creating a gut feeling that car crashes are balletic isn't.

Didcot B power station fire: Electrical fault probe

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The fire began in a cooling tower and spread to three others because of strong winds

An electrical fault could be to blame for a huge fire at Didcot B power station, the fire service has said.

Nathan Travis, deputy chief fire officer at Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue, said they were focusing their investigation on a fault in one of the station's cooling fans.

The blaze on Sunday evening has resulted in half of the station being "non-operational" indefinitely.

Owner RWE npower said it was not known how long the closure would be in place.

At its height, 25 fire engines and about 100 firefighters tackled the blaze, which began in a cooling tower and spread to three others because of strong winds.

An electrical fault could be to blame for a huge fire at Didcot B power station, the fire service has said.

Nathan Travis, deputy chief fire officer at Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue, said they were focusing their investigation on a fault in one of the station's cooling fans.

The blaze on Sunday evening has resulted in half of the station being "non-operational" indefinitely.

Owner RWE npower said it was not known how long the closure would be in place.

At its height, 25 fire engines and about 100 firefighters tackled the blaze, which began in a cooling tower and spread to three others because of strong winds.

Probably no effect on rail services tomorrow, then, but still worrying.

I can think of a better question to ask.

This is the outer, flammable, casing of what is essentially a very big sprinkler system. I comes complete with pumps, remotely operated valves, and a handy supply of water. In operation the water comes in below the exhaust tube at the top, but it does not need a lot of extra pipes and valves to pour water down the walls from the top. Sources of fire such as motor faults do happen, whatever you do to prevent them. So why not?

29 October 2014 Last updated at 10:03

Didcot B power station generating again after fire

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Smoke started gushing from the unit once it was fully switched on

Part of Didcot B Power Station is generating electricity again after a switch-on operation likened to starting up the Starship Enterprise.

It is understood the unit will produce about 350MW - roughly half its normal capacity of around 700MW.

Station manager Neil Scott said the switch-on began on Tuesday and was not simply a case of flicking a switch.

On Tuesday, National Grid warned that its capacity to supply electricity this winter would be at a seven-year low.

Mr Scott said it involved a "massive" operation which he compared to starting the fictional Star Trek spaceship.

"It's a bit like Starship Enterprise if anything - it's massive technology and computer systems, and control systems," he said.

He also said it involved "years of experience and knowledge" from its staff.

The Didcot B blaze on 19 October was among the closures and generator breakdowns which have contributed to problems.

At its height, 25 fire engines and about 100 firefighters tackled the fire, which started in a cooling tower.

The plant's other unit has continued to operate normally.

For the foreseeable future the plant is expected to provide about three quarters of its full power capacity.

That is 1 to 1.1GW of power compared to its full capacity of just under 1.4GW.

Welcome back, Module 5 at Didcot B.

You may prefer this IET report (http://), which has a higher factual content.

I'd been expecting it to come back with a bit more power than that. After all, the coolers only reduce the secondary cooling water temperature a bit before putting it back in the Thames, and it's not high summer. Maybe the Thames is still relatively warm this year.

The URL doesn't work, this might  http://eandt.theiet.org/news/2014/oct/didcot-fire.cfm?utm_source=web&utm_medium=homepage&utm_campaign=news  (http://eandt.theiet.org/news/2014/oct/didcot-fire.cfm?utm_source=web&utm_medium=homepage&utm_campaign=news)

The Environment Agency may well have placed a limit on the temperature rise of the River Thames, the river will still be quite warm this time of year we have not had any frosts and the ground will is still be getting some solar gain, it may be the output can be increased in a few weeks when the ground temp drops

Welcome back, Module 5 at Didcot B.

This BBC report (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-29814291) starts badly - is that really smoke that's gushing out?

You may prefer this IET report (http://eandt.theiet.org/news/2014/oct/didcot-fire.cfm), which has a higher factual content.

The Environment Agency may well have placed a limit on the temperature rise of the River Thames, the river will still be quite warm this time of year we have not had any frosts and the ground will is still be getting some solar gain, it may be the output can be increased in a few weeks when the ground temp drops

Much of the main power station building (http://www.heraldseries.co.uk/news/hsdidcotnews/13783117.___Brace_yourselves____alert_as_power_station_building_will_be_blown_up/) is to be blown up on the morning of Sat 26 September.

Part of the Northern Perimeter Road nearest to the site will be closed as a precaution.

BBC are reporting (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/uk-england-oxfordshire-35543274) what sounds like a demolition accident at Didcot A.

Didcot power station: Search continues amid collapse warnings

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The fire service said it was working with structural engineers and demolition experts at the site

The search for three people feared dead at Didcot Power Station is continuing amid fears of further collapses.

Part of the power station collapsed at 16:00 GMT on Tuesday as it was being prepared for demolition.

The body of Michael Collings, 53, has been found while three people still unaccounted for are "unlikely to be alive", rescuers said.

The partially collapsed building remains unstable and further collapses are possible, the fire service said.

Residents have been urged to keep windows and doors shut in case of dust.

The fire service said its priority was "to return the missing people to their families".

It also said one option being discussed was the demolition of the rest of the building so search teams can safely access the rubble.

Deputy chief fire officer Nathan Travis said: "The site remains extremely unstable and so the safety of the teams working on site has to be our first consideration."

A post-mortem examination showed Mr Collings died from multiple injuries.

Didcot Power Station collapse: Families of missing hold protest

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The families of three missing workers from Swansea and Rotherham took part in the protest at the Didcot A site

The families of three missing workers feared trapped following a collapse at Didcot Power Station have held a "peaceful protest" at the site.

Two of the three families have previously criticised the rescue operation saying it has been too slow.

One person died and five were injured after half of the decommissioned Didcot A plant collapsed on 23 February.

Police and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) said recovering the missing men remained the "priority".

Christopher Huxtable, 34, from Swansea, Ken Cresswell, 57, and John Shaw, 61, both from Rotherham, are still missing in the rubble.

Jade Ali has previously said she had been "left in the dark" about the search for her partner Mr Huxtable. The 28-year-old set up an online petition to "get the three men out" which has so far been signed by more than 15,000 people.

John Howley, Mr Cresswell's uncle, also said there had been a "diabolical" delay in getting to the missing men.

During the protest, Mr Cresswell's wife Gail described the three missing men as "much loved".

"We've got to have them home, we need them home - they need out of this," she said. "They're hardworking men who have worked down here all this time and this is the thanks they get, left under rubble all this time."

Mr Huxtable's 14-year-old niece Mollie Williams said: "It's heartbreaking to know your uncle is under there trying to fight for his life and nothing is happening."

In a joint statement, Thames Valley Police and the HSE said they were waiting for site owners RWE to "produce a plan for a safe method of working before the next stage of the recovery can begin".

"Once this is received and approved by HSE, emergency services are on hand to recover the missing men," it said. "Preparation at the site, for the recovery, is taking place and will continue over the weekend."

RWE said it was providing an independent assessment "on the stability of the remaining structure".

The firm added it "recognises the impact this state of uncertainty must be having on the families concerned and that it is of paramount importance to respond to this tragic situation", and said it had offered to meet up with the affected families "next week when we have more information".

Police have previously said it was "highly unlikely" the missing men were still alive and that recovering bodies would take "many, many weeks".

Dave Etheridge, the chief fire officer working at the site, has also defended the handling of the rescue attempt. He said the service was dealing with a "weakened" structure and needed to minimise the risk to rescuers.

Police and the HSE said they were "working hard to identity as soon as possible what caused the building to partially collapse, to provide answers and prevent such a tragedy happening again".

Specialist police officers "continue to support the families at this difficult time and we are providing them with regular updates on the progress", they added.

It can't be rocket science to develop a plan to safely drop the remaining part of the building so as to be able to start the clearing/searching of the area?

Sod trying to work out why it dropped (they must be pretty close to understanding)...getting the bodies to the relatives now I feel is far more important than a post-mortem on why it happened

Very tempting view. I have thought this myself, but then the engineer in me kicks in. Actually, given how unstable the structure obviously is, trying to find a way to drop it without killing anyone else is far from easy. 

One possibility that occurred to me.
Use a helicopter to loop a long length of steel rope around the still standing part of the structure, dropping the ends to the ground.
Then at ground level attach the ends of the steel rope (extending them if need be) to an HGV or an army tank at a safe distance.
By pulling on the steel rope with sufficient force it should be possible to pull down the still standing part of the structure, and moreover to pull it AWAY from the collapsed part and thus not hamper the recovery of the bodies.
Alternatively, a grappling hook attached to steel rope could be dropped from the air onto a suitable part of the building, and again pulled or winched from a safe distance.
More controllable than bombing or shelling, and no close approach to the unstable structure required to place explosives for a controlled explosion.

Bodies search begins as debris removal starts at Didcot power station

Work to locate the bodies of three missing men and clear debris from the site of the collapsed Didcot power station, has started.

Heavy lifting gear has been brought in to clear the site of the accident which killed one man whose body was recovered, and injured five others.

The recovery operation has been criticised by their families of the missing men for being too slow.

The plant was set for demolition when it collapsed on 23 February.

Thames Valley Police and the Health and Safety Executive said returning the missing men to their families "remains a priority".

The bodies of Christopher Huxtable, 34, from Swansea, Ken Cresswell, 57, and John Shaw, 61, both from Rotherham, have not been found following the collapse.

The body of Michael Collings, 53, from Cleveland, North Yorkshire, was recovered from the site. His funeral was held near Redcar on Tuesday, with hundreds of bikers attending.

In a joint statement on Wednesday, Thames Valley Police and the Health and Safety Executive said: "Starting today, large equipment and people will be arriving on site to start work to enable the recovery operation to resume at the weekend, sooner if possible. Our priority remains the recovery of the missing men so they can be returned to their families and to understand what caused this incident. Specialist officers from Thames Valley Police continue to support the families and are providing them with regular updates on the progress of this work."

Demolition company Coleman and Co said: "Our over-riding priority remains to support the families of those who have died or are still tragically missing, and the start of the recovery operation is an important milestone in a process to re-unite our missing colleagues with their families."

Didcot power station bodies search 'will take time'

A 40m (131ft) pile of rubble has been cleared from the collapsed Didcot power station site but finding the three missing men will take time, police have said.

The collapse killed four workers - one body has been recovered - and injured five others.

Thames Valley Police say 20,000 tonnes of material remain, but the recovery operation was progressing to schedule.

The plant was set for demolition when it collapsed on 23 February.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE), together with the police, are carrying out a joint investigation into the cause of the collapsed boiler house.

The recovery mission by RWE Npower began on 19 March and is being supported by forensic archaeologists, metallurgists and structural engineers, with drones and cameras gathering information.

Specialists from the police, Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue's Urban Search and Rescue, and the South Central Ambulance Service Hazardous Area Response Team are also at the scene.

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The Health and Safety Executive and police are investigating the collapse

A police spokesman said: "The absolute priority of the multi-agency response to this incident remains the recovery of the missing men so they can be returned to their families. These debris removal works are ongoing seven days a week, from dawn to dusk. Whilst to date everything is progressing to plan, due to the complex nature of the collapse the recovery phase will still take some time."

The standing structure remains in an unsafe condition, he added.

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Police dogs have been used to search the wreckage

He said officers were supporting the families affected, providing them with regular updates.

The bodies of Christopher Huxtable, 34, from Swansea; Ken Cresswell, 57, and John Shaw, 61, both from Rotherham, have not yet been found.

The body of Michael Collings, 53, from Cleveland, North Yorkshire, was recovered from the site.

(http://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/624/cpsprodpb/85D4/production/_88806243_didcot.jpg)
The plant was set for demolition when it collapsed in February

Didcot power station: Family fight explosives plan

The family of one of the missing workers trapped at the collapsed Didcot A Power Station say they will fight the decision to use explosives on the site.

Steve Hall, the son-in-law of Ken Cresswell, said: "We want the men back in one piece, not many pieces."

It comes as RWE Npower announced plans to bring the rest of the building down by controlled explosive demolition. The firm said it would use a technique which would see the structure fall away from the existing pile of debris.

But Mr Hall said: "We are totally against it and we will fight and do whatever we have to to stop that blast."

Speaking on BBC Radio Oxford, Mr Hall said the family were in doubt over the building falling "the way they want it to". He said: "It could fall on the pile that's there which means the men will be buried under more material and metal. I don't know how they've come to the conclusion that the only way is to blast it."

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Emergency service workers have been at the site in Didcot since the collapse

In a statement RWE Npower said: "We understand that any potential work involving further explosive demolition on site causes distress for the families. Having explored other manual options, our experts have made it clear that the quickest and safest way to bring the building down is by controlled explosive demolition."

The plant was set for demolition when it collapsed on 23 February.

The bodies of Christopher Huxtable, 34, from Swansea, Ken Cresswell, 57, and John Shaw, 61, both from Rotherham, have not been found following the collapse. The body of Michael Collings, 53, from Brotton, Teesside, was recovered from the site.

The cause of the collapsed boiler house is being investigated jointly by police and The Health and Safety Executive.

Didcot power station collapse: New firm to manage recovery work

A new contractor will take over work within the next month to recover the bodies of three men killed when Didcot A Power Station collapsed.

Demolition firm Brown and Mason will also clear the collapsed section of the boiler house and demolish the rest of the building.

It is set to replace Coleman and Company, which still has responsibility for demolition at the wider site.

Four workers died when the plant collapsed on 23 February.

In a statement, Coleman and Company said it was "hugely disappointing" it had to cease work at the site. "We all wanted to recover our friends and colleagues and return them to their families," the company said. "It has been explained to us that this decision has been made for reasons of safe-guarding employee welfare and the preservation of critical evidence."

RWE Npower has announced plans to bring the rest of the building down by a controlled explosive demolition.

The bodies of Christopher Huxtable, 34, from Swansea, Ken Cresswell, 57, and John Shaw, 61, both from Rotherham, have not yet been found following the collapse. The body of Michael Collings, 53, from Brotton, Teesside, has been recovered from the site.

The cause of the collapse is being investigated jointly by police and The Health and Safety Executive.

Date set for Didcot collapse section demolition

The final section of Didcot Power Station's boiler house will be demolished on Sunday - despite opposition from families of men killed when it collapsed.
Only one body has been found since the plant partially collapsed in February, killing four men.
Efforts to recover the three remaining bodies were halted amid fears of a further collapse.
The men's families had opposed plans to use explosives for the demolition.
Steve Hall, son-in-law of victim Ken Cresswell, previously said: "We want the men back in one piece, not many pieces."
The remains of the boiler house at the Didcot A plant will be brought down between 05:30 and 07:30 BST.
'An untried system'
Remote-controlled vehicles will be used to place explosive charges at the base of the building's columns.
RWE Npower described the operation as "extremely complicated", and said the recovery operation will resume as soon as the building is demolished and the area declared safe.
The editor of Demolition News, Mark Anthony, said using robots to plant explosives was "unproven" in the industry.
He said: "The entire demolition world is watching it with interest... because it's an untried system.
"The main concern is to get the building down, get it down safely, and allow the recovery operation to take place.
"But over and above that from a technical standpoint it will be interesting to see how it is carried out and how successful it is."
The collapsed Didcot Power StationImage copyrightAP
Image caption
The cause of the collapse is being investigated jointly by police and the Health and Safety Executive
Earlier in the week, the firm sent letters to people living nearby informing them preparations for the demolition had started.
It said noise from the explosion would last "about a minute" and any airborne dust would not be harmful "but could cause a nuisance".
It warned members of the public to not attempt to enter the site "for safety reasons and out of respect for the families of the three men involved in this incident".
Michael Collings, 53, from Brotton, Teesside, Christopher Huxtable, 34, from Swansea, Ken Cresswell, 57, and John Shaw, 61, both from Rotherham, were killed in the collapse.
Mr Collings' body was recovered soon after, but family members have criticised the length of time it has taken to find the other three.
John Howley, the uncle of Mr Cresswell, described it as "diabolical".
Labour MP for Rotherham Sarah Champion also branded it a "national scandal".
Roads in the area will be closed during the blast.

Didcot power station boiler house demolished

Search efforts for three men killed in the Didcot power station collapse are set to resume after the remainder of the boiler house was demolished.

The building - which was due for demolition when it partially collapsed in February - had been too unstable to be approached afterwards.

The boiler house was brought down shortly after 06:00 BST.

Thanks to the army for the help given ...

The scandal is that they didn't do this soon after deciding it was too dangerous to recover - rather than the relatives being allowed to object. Weeks wasted, and they've now done what was originally proposed at that time. I don't think the relatives have any position in which to continue to complain, just hope as said above that they now act swiftly to recover the bodies.

That would explain the size of the bang. They don't need to be asked twice to complete the mission!

The British Army made available one of their large robotic machines to lift the demolition contractors small robotic machine so the demo contractors could place the charges and det cord.

The Army are not allowed to do this type of civilian demolition work but could assist with their machines

Regarding the prohibition on the Army carrying out civilian demolition work, I wonder if this should be reviewed ?

Under normal conditions I do not feel it correct for the publicly funded armed forces to in effect compete with profit making civilian demolition contractors.

However I feel that the rules should be altered to permit of exceptions in truly exceptional cases, requiring perhaps the personal permission of the Prime mister or home secretary.