Demolition of Sellafield nuclear chimney ready to begin

Preparations to dismantle a giant chimney at the scene of Britain's worst nuclear accident have been completed.

The 110-metre (360ft) structure has towered above what is now the Sellafield nuclear reprocessing plant in Cumbria for almost 70 years.

In 1957 it played a vital role in capturing radioactive dust after a fire at the then Windscale nuclear reactor.

Construction of a 152m (500ft) crane, built around the chimney so it can be safely taken down, has been completed.

Special diamond wire saws will be used to break up the tower - mockingly referred to as "Cockroft's Folly", after designer Sir John Cockroft - as traditional demolition methods cannot be used on structures containing nuclear materials.

The first piece to go, when work starts in the autumn, will be the square-shaped "diffuser" which sits at the top of the tower.

In October 1957, fire broke out in the Windscale Pile One reactor and the diffuser's filters captured about 95% of the radioactive dust released.

Duncan Thompson, from the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, which is overseeing the operation said: "The complex task of decommissioning and demolishing the Windscale Pile One stack has reached an important stage.

"It is another example of the ingenuity that goes into solving the UK's decommissioning problems.

"Once demolition begins it will be a very visible demonstration of the work being done to make Sellafield a safer place."

The authority is managing the decommissioning of the Sellafield site, which is due to be completed in 2120 at a cost of more than £70bn.

George Frost from Sellafield Ltd, added: "We're making visible progress on this demolition, and it won't be long now until we start to see the diffuser removed.

"The chimney is one of the iconic legacies of Sellafield's past, so the skyline change as the chimney is removed will be significant."