E.ON struggles to demolish Sheffield's Tinsley Towers – see video

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Icons of the M1, the Tinsley Cooling Towers in Sheffield, were demolished at 3.00am on Sunday 24 August by owner E.ON. 

Several thousand people, many gathered on the upper decks of the nearby Meadowhall shopping centre car park, watched the two concrete towers disappearing from the skyline.

• Author: Kaye Alexander.

Following the initial bang of the bird scarer, the south tower collapsed after a second explosion, the inherent strength of its conical shape causing it to fall relatively slowly. The north tower was detonated just a second later and the two forms fell into each other.
 
But as the clouds of dust settled, you could see that a significant shard of the north tower remained, visible above the neighbouring Tinsley viaduct. If you watch the video footage closely, you can see the north tower stall mid collapse. It seems the towers were more robust than E.ON thought – its primary reason for demolishing the landmarks was structural instability.
 
Controversy has been rife over E.ON's decision to destroy the 70 year old cooling towers that Sheffield inhabitants were so proud of, especially since the towers received the most nominations in Channel 4's Big Art project. E.ON would not allow the planned art installation to go ahead even though it has taken nearly two years for the company to fulfil its commitment to demolish.
 
Despite the disappointment of many to see the towers go, and the intermittent drizzle, there was a party atmosphere. Cheers and applause turned to excited exclamations as it became obvious that the north tower had refused to succumb to the dynamite.
 
As the crowds slowly dispersed in hooting cars, the shard remained. According to E.ON, gravity completed the job it had failed to do and the remaining structure collapsed within the next few hours. Then the race began to clear the debris to open the M1 and viaduct for the bank holiday traffic.