Cooling towers at Didcot Power Station to be demolished

The remaining cooling towers at a power station in Didcot are due to be demolished later this year.

Demolition firm Brown and Mason and site owners RWE NPower, have submitted plans to collapse the towers at Didcot A, along with a 200-metre high chimney.

Work will be carried out to ensure that a gas-fired power station near the site, which is still in operation, won't be affected.

The demolition of the cooling towers was originally scheduled for 2016.

But the unintended collapse of part of the boiler house, which resulted in the deaths of four workers, delayed the timetable.

The incident is still being investigated by the Health and Safety Executive and Thames Valley Police.

Work on the landmarks, which are over 300 ft high, is expected to take place in the summer.

However final proposals still need to be given the go-ahead by two local councils.

The last time a demolition took place on the site was in the summer of 2014.

Thousands of residents gathered to watch three of the six cooling towers being reduced to a pile of rubble.

Once demolition work is complete the land on which the towers are based is expected to be used for the building of new homes and businesses.

The redevelopment is part of plans designed to complement Didcot's status as a Garden Town.

Officials hope to see a shift towards the use of more environmentally friendly and efficient technology in the area.

• Watch the full story here from our reporter Cary Johnston