Sellafield towers are demolished

The four cooling towers at the Sellafield nuclear plant in Cumbria, the world's first full-scale nuclear power station, have …

The four cooling towers at the Sellafield nuclear plant in Cumbria, the world's first full-scale nuclear power station, have been demolished.

The first two of four 88 metre high cooling towers were demolished as part of the Calder Hall site's decommissioning.

Irish campaigners have for years urged the British government to close the plant because of its proximity to Ireland's coastline

Calder Hall, which was the world's first commercial nuclear power station, first opened in October, 1956 - stopped generating electricity in March 2003.

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A massive cloud of dust blew out over the Irish Sea as one of the UK's most recognisable landscapes was changed forever.

Only four minutes later the final pair of giant cooling towers were detonated as hundreds of residents watched from vantage points around the Sellafield site.

Today's operation was a milestone in the journey to end the power station's contribution to Britain's national grid.

Early in its existence, Calder Hall was used to produce weapons-grade plutonium, with electricity generation as its secondary purpose.