Gone in seven seconds: Dramatic moment 705ft power station more than TWICE the height of Big Ben is demolished four years after being shut down for environmental reasons
- Video shows demolition of Littlebrook Power Station in Kent at 8am on Sunday
- The 705ft chimney structure was twice the height of London’s 320ft Big Ben
- Littlebrook Power Station was closed in 2015, deemed too unprofitable to repair
This is the moment a power station chimney more than twice the height of Big Ben was demolished, four years after it was shut down for environmental reasons.
Littlebrook Power Station, one of the last surviving power stations dotted along the River Thames, was razed at 8am on Sunday, dramatic footage shows.
The M25 Dartford Crossing was briefly closed for the 705ft chimney’s demolition, which was watched by families across Kent and streamed on YouTube.
This is the moment a power station chimney more than twice the height of Big Ben was demolished. Littlebrook Power Station, one of the last surviving power stations dotted along the River Thames, was razed at 8am on Sunday, dramatic footage shows
The chimney was the last structure to be taken down in the Littlebrook Power Station demolition.
It was closed in 2015, after it was deemed too unprofitable to bring it up to necessary environmental standards.
Brown and Mason, a Kent-based construction firm, were brought in to demolish the station, which they have been doing over the past year.
The destruction came despite a last-minute bid to save the chimney from Gravesham MP Adam Holloway.
The chimney was the last structure to be taken down in the Littlebrook Power Station demolition. It was closed in 2015, after it was deemed too unprofitable to bring it up to necessary environmental standards
He urged fellow the undersecretary of state for the Arts, Heritage and Tourism, Helen Whately, to call for the final explosion to be suspended.
One campaigner had even threatened to chain himself to the structure to stop the demolition.
But it is understood security around the site was beefed up this morning in case of any protest.
The chimney was the last structure to be taken down in the Littlebrook Power Station demolition. It was closed in 2015, after it was deemed too unprofitable to bring it up to necessary environmental standards
One campaigner had even threatened to chain himself to the structure to stop the demolition. But it is understood security around the site was beefed up this morning in case of any protest
During the demolition, motorists were unable to drive across the Queen Elizabeth II bridge. A few minutes before and after, Highways England also blocked the bridge.
A spokesperson said: ‘A rolling block will be put in place by Highways England Traffic Officers on Sunday morning for approximately six minutes.
‘We don’t anticipate this will cause any disruption to the network.’