Eight 375ft-tall cooling towers crashed to the ground yesterday in the largest simultaneous demolition of its kind.

Hundreds of people watched the structures’ tumble at Cottam Power Station in Retford, Notts, one of the last coal-fired stations in Britain.

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The towers were flattened in 10 seconds, sending a huge cloud of dust into the air.

The power station shut in 2019.

The historic moment marked the largest simultaneous demolition of cooling towers ever carried out.

The coal-fired complex, which opened in 1968, was capable of generating enough electricity for 3.7 million homes.

Originally designed for just 30 years of use, it remained operational until 2019 when it was decommissioned by EDF Energy.

The demolition, the ninth at the EDF-owned site, is part of a phased clearance.

Other parts of the site, including its chimney stack, have already been destroyed.

The project is expected to be complete by early 2026.

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