A MET tower has been demolished in a controlled explosion at Oldbury Nuclear Power Station.

The steel structure, which was erected 48 years ago, stood 45 metres tall and was destroyed yesterday as part of the plant's ongoing decommissioning process.

Just three explosive charges weighing a total of 1kg were used. It took less than ten seconds for the meteorological tower to come tumbling down.

Mike Heaton, site director, said: "Our overriding priority is the safety of our workforce, the public and the environment. The tower was no longer required and could have been a potential hazard to the public so we took the opportunity to demolish it.

"A controlled explosion was the best method for this because it minimised risk and human intervention.

"A 150-metre exclusion zone was established a week before the demolition and the local police were involved on the day to make sure that no one was in the area prior to the demolition."

Oldbury Power Station's meteorological tower was situated outside the plant boundary and had provided weather information for the site since 1965. It became redundant in 2010 when a new tower was built within the site perimeter.

The controlled explosion was carried out by expert demolition firm Keltbray Ltd