Ferrybridge C close-up: Cooling towers on show before demolition

Cameras were allowed on to the site of landmark power station Ferrybridge C before its cooling towers fully disappear from the horizon.

The decommissioned power station in Knottingley, West Yorkshire has long been a familiar sight to motorists on the M62 and A1.

Its eight giant cooling towers reached 380ft (115m) high and were part of the coal-fired station, which generated electricity from 1966 until 2016.

One of the cooling towers was successfully demolished in July and a larger demolition should see four of the remaining towers demolished on Sunday 13 October.

The full demolition is expected to be completed by 2021.

Ferrybridge C with four units totalling 2,000MW had the largest capacity of any power station in Europe, said owners SSE.

Situated on the River Aire it was the third coal-fired power station to be built on the site since 1924.

At peak capacity it generated enough electricity to power two million homes and employed 900 workers.

Current owners SSE previously said projected losses had made the continued life of the plant "unsustainable".

The firm, owners of Ferrybridge since 2004, blamed rising costs and the impact of environmental legislation for the decision to close in 2016.

However, if a new gas-fired station is constructed on the site up to three towers may be retained to cool any new station, said SSE.

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