0:00:06 > 0:00:09Britain is being destroyed.
0:00:09 > 0:00:13Day after day, it's being torn apart.
0:00:13 > 0:00:16You're looking at an hour, two hours for a house to go
0:00:16 > 0:00:17and then that's it. Done and dusted.
0:00:20 > 0:00:22Filmed over 12 months, these are the men
0:00:22 > 0:00:26and women taking on the biggest demolition jobs in the country.
0:00:26 > 0:00:29Once you've done this job there's nothing else.
0:00:29 > 0:00:31Not for a working lad anyway.
0:00:33 > 0:00:35Better than sex.
0:00:35 > 0:00:37All right, Simon.
0:00:37 > 0:00:39WARNING SIREN
0:00:39 > 0:00:44This is the inside story of the billion pound demolition industry.
0:00:45 > 0:00:47Not much of a bridge now, is it? Eh?
0:00:47 > 0:00:49Better take it down to the scrap.
0:00:49 > 0:00:51It's a world of dynamite
0:00:51 > 0:00:55and destruction that's changing the face of the UK forever.
0:00:57 > 0:00:59Here we go! Show time!
0:01:02 > 0:01:04Tonight...
0:01:06 > 0:01:10..an explosive end to the three industrial icons puts
0:01:10 > 0:01:13the crowd in the firing line.
0:01:13 > 0:01:14People are out in their camper vans.
0:01:14 > 0:01:17The cars are just piling up, they're all over the place.
0:01:17 > 0:01:21It's the last chance to save a much-loved piece of our heritage.
0:01:21 > 0:01:23There was so much weight there.
0:01:23 > 0:01:26If that pulls that, the whole lot will go.
0:01:26 > 0:01:28And it's a race against the clock,
0:01:28 > 0:01:30where every second costs.
0:01:31 > 0:01:33We're not doing very well.
0:01:33 > 0:01:35We're probably three hours behind.
0:01:35 > 0:01:36It's coming down though.
0:01:36 > 0:01:39Come hell or high water, that bridge is coming down.
0:01:41 > 0:01:43LOUDSPEAKER: Three, two, one.
0:01:43 > 0:01:44Fire now.
0:01:49 > 0:01:51Lovely! Bang on.
0:02:06 > 0:02:10In Oxfordshire, 180 men are taking on
0:02:10 > 0:02:12one of the largest demolition projects in Europe.
0:02:14 > 0:02:15What we've got planned for today
0:02:15 > 0:02:18is the dismantling of this structure here.
0:02:18 > 0:02:21It's the generator,
0:02:21 > 0:02:24part and parcel of the old turbine hall.
0:02:24 > 0:02:27It's a structure that weighs approximately 800 tonnes.
0:02:29 > 0:02:33Demolition firm Coleman and Company are attempting the biggest
0:02:33 > 0:02:35job in their 50-year history.
0:02:36 > 0:02:40Bringing down the former coal fire power station, Didcot A.
0:02:43 > 0:02:47It always brings out the crowds, we've got a little mini crowd.
0:02:47 > 0:02:51It's almost like a rock concert, isn't it, without the rock stars?
0:02:51 > 0:02:54But in a way I think we are the rock stars here, aren't we?
0:02:57 > 0:02:59Come on.
0:03:01 > 0:03:03She's rocking.
0:03:03 > 0:03:06Ah, you got it. Yep, you got it.
0:03:16 > 0:03:18Did you hear the sound on that?
0:03:18 > 0:03:21Now that's a good day at the office, that is, isn't it?
0:03:24 > 0:03:27But taking down one generator is small fry
0:03:27 > 0:03:29in the scheme of this project.
0:03:31 > 0:03:35Kieran's team has to clear the entire 200-acre site...
0:03:37 > 0:03:40As developers want to replace the towers and turbines
0:03:40 > 0:03:43with a hotel and up to 400 houses.
0:03:46 > 0:03:48In its 43-year lifespan,
0:03:48 > 0:03:53Didcot A generated over 250 billion kilowatt hours of electricity,
0:03:53 > 0:03:56providing power to more than two million of our homes.
0:03:58 > 0:04:01But as cleaner energy sources have been developed,
0:04:01 > 0:04:04coal has fallen out of favour
0:04:04 > 0:04:07and the power station was shut down in 2012.
0:04:10 > 0:04:13It will take more than two years to clear the whole site.
0:04:13 > 0:04:15The biggest challenge is bringing down the 100-metre high
0:04:15 > 0:04:20cooling towers, a job that will involve a huge amount of explosive.
0:04:20 > 0:04:23- So when did you start this one, John?- Monday sort of.
0:04:23 > 0:04:26And it's all complete, done, charged.
0:04:26 > 0:04:28Oh, yeah, we don't mess about.
0:04:28 > 0:04:30For this dangerous technical challenge,
0:04:30 > 0:04:33Kieran has enlisted the help of the man who's taken down more cooling
0:04:33 > 0:04:37towers than anyone in the world - explosives expert, John Turner.
0:04:37 > 0:04:39How long for tower two?
0:04:39 > 0:04:41Three days.
0:04:41 > 0:04:42Three days, yeah.
0:04:42 > 0:04:46We're up to where that reel is, then we'll tie that this afternoon.
0:04:48 > 0:04:51John is one of the most experienced explosive demolition
0:04:51 > 0:04:53engineers in the country.
0:04:53 > 0:04:57His time is valuable in terms of structures like this.
0:04:57 > 0:05:01We only work with John because he's the best in the business.
0:05:01 > 0:05:03Is he making you blush, John,
0:05:03 > 0:05:05telling you you're the best in the business?
0:05:05 > 0:05:08No, I know I am.
0:05:08 > 0:05:11That's the Geordie sense of humour for you.
0:05:14 > 0:05:19It's taken three months to drill more than 8,000 holes in the towers.
0:05:19 > 0:05:23Now each one has to be lined with explosive by hand.
0:05:30 > 0:05:34These ones are filled with 12-gram detonating cord.
0:05:34 > 0:05:38This detonates at 7,500 metres a second.
0:05:38 > 0:05:44We then place 40 grams of uridine explosive which is,
0:05:44 > 0:05:46it's a nitro-glycerine-based explosive.
0:05:48 > 0:05:51We've done a test whilst up on the shell,
0:05:51 > 0:05:55with 15 grams of explosives in.
0:05:55 > 0:05:58And that's the size of the hole it knocked in the tower.
0:06:00 > 0:06:03It's not how much explosives that you put in the hole
0:06:03 > 0:06:06that does the damage, it's where you put the hole.
0:06:09 > 0:06:12Over the years, parts of the towers suffered weather damage
0:06:12 > 0:06:14and were reinforced with concrete.
0:06:14 > 0:06:17As the walls vary in strength,
0:06:17 > 0:06:20the direction of collapse is hard to predict,
0:06:20 > 0:06:23but the team want the towers to fall into the smallest target area
0:06:23 > 0:06:28possible to avoid creating huge and potentially dangerous dust clouds.
0:06:28 > 0:06:32Explosives will be laid just two thirds of the way around to
0:06:32 > 0:06:35encourage the towers to hinge and fall towards each other.
0:06:35 > 0:06:37Get the calculations wrong,
0:06:37 > 0:06:40and sections could be left standing, then the demolition team will be
0:06:40 > 0:06:44faced with the dangerous task of taking down the unstable remains.
0:06:49 > 0:06:53Rumour has it that renowned sculpture Henry Moore advised
0:06:53 > 0:06:55the architects on where to position the towers that have
0:06:55 > 0:06:59dominated the skyline for more than 40 years.
0:07:01 > 0:07:04When we moved to Didcot, we were, it's one of the things,
0:07:04 > 0:07:07we looked at one house and the towers were really close again
0:07:07 > 0:07:09and it actually put us off the house.
0:07:09 > 0:07:12But now we were like, "Oh, they're going."
0:07:12 > 0:07:15Yeah, so now we feel a bit differently about them.
0:07:15 > 0:07:16So, yeah.
0:07:18 > 0:07:20All around the area, wherever you live,
0:07:20 > 0:07:22you will always see the power stations.
0:07:22 > 0:07:26And when you go on holiday, you always know that you're coming home.
0:07:28 > 0:07:31If you pass the chimneys, you've gone in the wrong direction.
0:07:31 > 0:07:32SHE CHUCKLES
0:07:32 > 0:07:35So I don't know what we're going to do. I don't know.
0:07:35 > 0:07:38- We'll all be lost. - We will be lost.
0:07:38 > 0:07:41- Lost in the dust I expect.- Yeah.
0:07:42 > 0:07:45The planned explosion is just three weeks away.
0:07:45 > 0:07:48On top of the huge technical challenge that Kieran faces,
0:07:48 > 0:07:52there are now reports that thousands of residents intend to turn up
0:07:52 > 0:07:54to watch the towers disappear.
0:07:54 > 0:07:57But a huge crowd will be a huge problem.
0:08:00 > 0:08:04We have never experienced the level of interest
0:08:04 > 0:08:07from the public that we have at this project.
0:08:07 > 0:08:11There's talk of people camping out overnight in the local fields,
0:08:11 > 0:08:15setting up barbecues and staying up all night just to celebrate
0:08:15 > 0:08:18the fact that these cooling towers are coming down.
0:08:19 > 0:08:21And I can understand it,
0:08:21 > 0:08:25it's such an iconic building that people are tied into it
0:08:25 > 0:08:28emotionally, that they want to see it, they want to view it.
0:08:28 > 0:08:30They don't want to miss this opportunity.
0:08:30 > 0:08:34But at the same time, we have that vested interest to make sure that we
0:08:34 > 0:08:38don't create any additional risks by inviting those people to the area.
0:08:42 > 0:08:46If thousands of people turn up to watch the blast as predicted,
0:08:46 > 0:08:50it could be too dangerous to go ahead with the explosion
0:08:50 > 0:08:55and the months of painstaking preparation would all be in vain.
0:09:09 > 0:09:11Demolition is big business.
0:09:11 > 0:09:16It's an industry now worth more than £1 billion a year in the UK alone.
0:09:16 > 0:09:21In addition to the industry's big boys who take on the largest jobs,
0:09:21 > 0:09:26there are hundreds of smaller demo firms tearing down buildings all over the country,
0:09:26 > 0:09:28transforming Britain as they go.
0:09:32 > 0:09:34All right there, John?
0:09:35 > 0:09:38Are we coming to the end of that lot now?
0:09:38 > 0:09:40About BLEEP time.
0:09:45 > 0:09:48Paul Johnson started his firm in Preston 30 years ago,
0:09:48 > 0:09:51with just a pick-up truck and some hand tools.
0:09:51 > 0:09:53Now he employs over 50 people
0:09:53 > 0:09:56and turns over £5 million a year.
0:09:56 > 0:09:58I love demolition, it's in my blood.
0:09:58 > 0:10:00This is my big shear.
0:10:00 > 0:10:03That'll cut girders to about two and half foot, cut girders that big.
0:10:03 > 0:10:05That goes on me 50-tonner, that.
0:10:05 > 0:10:08I've never knocked a power station down or anything nuclear,
0:10:08 > 0:10:11but I've knocked most everything else down.
0:10:11 > 0:10:13I've knocked some massive factories down,
0:10:13 > 0:10:16I've knocked some famous buildings down like Central Park in Wigan.
0:10:16 > 0:10:17Ah, that's what I'm looking for.
0:10:19 > 0:10:22That's them - hammer for a 14-tonner.
0:10:22 > 0:10:25I've seen them all come and go, clever words, big talkers,
0:10:25 > 0:10:27fancy presentations, fancy brochures.
0:10:27 > 0:10:29I'll see you on site, can you do the job?
0:10:29 > 0:10:31You can either do the job or you can't do the job.
0:10:31 > 0:10:34There's one thing about me, I can do the job.
0:10:36 > 0:10:38What the bridge is, it's an old railway bridge.
0:10:38 > 0:10:40I think it's 18... 22 metres long.
0:10:40 > 0:10:42I've got these girders underneath.
0:10:42 > 0:10:45- Now, that's one of the problems.. - Yeah.
0:10:45 > 0:10:47So what I want to do is...
0:10:47 > 0:10:49Paul's latest challenge is to take down a disused
0:10:49 > 0:10:51bridge in a single weekend.
0:10:51 > 0:10:55He'll face tough financial penalties if he can't bring it down on schedule
0:10:55 > 0:10:58so he's called on his contract manager, Steve, to formulate a battle plan.
0:10:58 > 0:11:01It's key critical that we're ready for when the crane comes.
0:11:01 > 0:11:02Yep.
0:11:02 > 0:11:06- So what's we're going to do, go on with your 15-tonner.- Mmm.
0:11:06 > 0:11:10Break the deck out, but I've got to get these out
0:11:10 > 0:11:12and I can't burn them out of the covering concrete
0:11:12 > 0:11:15and I don't know where they'll be fixed.
0:11:15 > 0:11:19On this bridge, we've got to be organised because there's no time.
0:11:19 > 0:11:22If anything goes wrong you can't come back the day after
0:11:22 > 0:11:24or the day after.
0:11:24 > 0:11:27I can't keep that road shut and it's a busy road.
0:11:27 > 0:11:28I've got to get that road open.
0:11:28 > 0:11:30The one thing I do know too,
0:11:30 > 0:11:33proper planning prevents piss poor performance.
0:11:33 > 0:11:37There's 12 bolts on each girder and there's 22 girders.
0:11:37 > 0:11:42So half this key critical thing is to make sure
0:11:42 > 0:11:45the ash is off for 7.30,
0:11:45 > 0:11:47the hammer's on, is pecking,
0:11:47 > 0:11:49Jimmy's blowing bolts...
0:11:49 > 0:11:53When you start at a job you've got to know in your mind
0:11:53 > 0:11:55that you can succeed
0:11:55 > 0:11:59and you do the job 1,000 times in your mind before you get there.
0:11:59 > 0:12:03I mean, Jimmy will burn that bridge up with one bottle of oxy.
0:12:03 > 0:12:05But I'll take six.
0:12:05 > 0:12:08Every base has to be covered.
0:12:08 > 0:12:11OK. That's the programme.
0:12:11 > 0:12:14- Right, I better ring them up, these people now.- Yeah, no worries.
0:12:14 > 0:12:16Make sure they're all up for it.
0:12:16 > 0:12:18Hi Steve, are you all right?
0:12:18 > 0:12:20That bridge is definitely on.
0:12:20 > 0:12:22Now, now listen don't let me down.
0:12:22 > 0:12:2412.30, next Saturday,
0:12:24 > 0:12:27get your girl to get a purchase order off Eileen. Yeah?
0:12:27 > 0:12:30And I'll be ringing you all week, make sure you don't forget
0:12:30 > 0:12:33because I know you're getting on a bit and you might forget.
0:12:33 > 0:12:34All right, ta-ra.
0:12:34 > 0:12:36Now that's crane done.
0:12:36 > 0:12:38You're quite straight talking aren't you, Paul?
0:12:38 > 0:12:40Straight talking?
0:12:40 > 0:12:43Er, at work I am, yeah, flipping right I am yeah.
0:12:43 > 0:12:45It is what it is, in't it?
0:12:45 > 0:12:48You know what I mean, it's not the diplomatic corps, is it? It's demolition, isn't it?
0:12:48 > 0:12:51These things are happening, pal, you know what I mean?
0:12:51 > 0:12:53What's the point in fannying about, talking rubbish?
0:12:53 > 0:12:55Do you know what I mean?
0:12:55 > 0:12:57That's the truth.
0:12:57 > 0:13:00I say it as it is, it
0:13:00 > 0:13:01and that's it.
0:13:08 > 0:13:12Demolition crews don't just clear the way for new development,
0:13:12 > 0:13:14sometimes their skills are put to the test
0:13:14 > 0:13:17in a last ditch attempt to save a piece of history.
0:13:22 > 0:13:25In Hastings, much of the town's pier
0:13:25 > 0:13:27was destroyed by a huge fire in 2010.
0:13:31 > 0:13:35Now local fundraising and a Lottery grant
0:13:35 > 0:13:38has raised more than £10 million to save it.
0:13:38 > 0:13:41But restoration work can only go ahead if the burnt out buildings
0:13:41 > 0:13:45can be removed without causing any more damage to the pier below.
0:13:53 > 0:13:57Demolition man Mark Hodgson is taking on the challenge.
0:14:00 > 0:14:02This was the main hall of the pier
0:14:02 > 0:14:05and all the big acts used to come back here in the day.
0:14:05 > 0:14:07The Stones played here, The Who played here.
0:14:09 > 0:14:11It's a real difficult thing to imagine the sort of
0:14:11 > 0:14:14raucous fun that everyone had in here back in the day.
0:14:14 > 0:14:16I should think it was absolutely buzzing.
0:14:21 > 0:14:24The pier has been the town's focal point since opening to the
0:14:24 > 0:14:28public in 1872 on the first ever August Bank Holiday.
0:14:28 > 0:14:33In its 1930s heyday, it was a huge draw,
0:14:33 > 0:14:35attracting up to 50,000 visitors a week.
0:14:37 > 0:14:40Now the underlying structure of the pier is Grade II listed,
0:14:40 > 0:14:44posing a huge challenge for Mark as he'll be held liable
0:14:44 > 0:14:46if he causes more damage.
0:14:47 > 0:14:51The main problem that we have now is that this large structure
0:14:51 > 0:14:54that's still precariously sort of hanging.
0:14:54 > 0:14:58If that goes, uncontrolled, it could then do some more significant
0:14:58 > 0:15:00damage to the underside of the pier.
0:15:06 > 0:15:09There were once 16 piers in the south east of England,
0:15:09 > 0:15:11now only seven remain standing.
0:15:12 > 0:15:16In Hastings, hundreds of locals have chipped in to help fund
0:15:16 > 0:15:19the plan works in the hope that their pier can be saved.
0:15:23 > 0:15:30While the town watches on, Mark is facing scrutiny much closer to home.
0:15:30 > 0:15:32- That's incredible, isn't it? That's...- Yeah.
0:15:32 > 0:15:35- Look how many people are on there. - I know.- Crikey.
0:15:35 > 0:15:38His family are Hastings born and bred
0:15:38 > 0:15:41and his mum has a special connection with the pier.
0:15:41 > 0:15:45- I don't know if we've got one the other side. There's this. - Look at this one.- Yeah.
0:15:45 > 0:15:46And that was the uniform we used to wear?
0:15:46 > 0:15:50- Oh, you wore that every, every day. Every day.- Really.- Yeah.
0:15:50 > 0:15:53Mark's late grandfather was the pier master in Hastings,
0:15:53 > 0:15:56and was awarded an OBE for his contribution to the town.
0:15:56 > 0:15:59And this one... Oh, this is lovely, this one is.
0:15:59 > 0:16:02- This was one of Dad's favourites because he loved Vera Lynn.- Right.
0:16:02 > 0:16:05They're just casually walking up the pier, look.
0:16:05 > 0:16:07Nobody's taking any notice of them.
0:16:07 > 0:16:09- So that was actually on the pier? - Yeah.
0:16:09 > 0:16:12- Don't he look young there? - Yes, he does.
0:16:12 > 0:16:14That was in the ballroom on the pier.
0:16:14 > 0:16:17Mark doing the job means a great deal to us
0:16:17 > 0:16:23because of Dad, obviously, and the happy memories we had there as a family.
0:16:24 > 0:16:25Look at that one there.
0:16:25 > 0:16:29This is Princess Alice opening the embroidery.
0:16:29 > 0:16:32Yeah, see, he really did a great deal for the town
0:16:32 > 0:16:34and he was very well liked.
0:16:35 > 0:16:38She was, we won't go any further than that.
0:16:38 > 0:16:40With me mum and me grandfather,
0:16:40 > 0:16:42having links with it throughout most of their life,
0:16:42 > 0:16:45for me to be involved in it at my stage in life is...
0:16:45 > 0:16:47I'm quite proud of that.
0:16:47 > 0:16:49I'd like to think he's probably quite proud of me as well
0:16:49 > 0:16:53for trying to bring back to life something that was such a big
0:16:53 > 0:16:55part of his life for so many years really.
0:16:55 > 0:16:58So that's why we're quite keen to make sure we don't damage it
0:16:58 > 0:17:01any further than it already has been and that we do everything
0:17:01 > 0:17:06we can do help to make it, sort of bring it back to life, really.
0:17:09 > 0:17:13In an attempt to prevent damaging the pier any further,
0:17:13 > 0:17:17Mark's going to try a unique unproven method of removing the damaged buildings.
0:17:19 > 0:17:22The deck is too weak to take the weight of any demolition machinery.
0:17:22 > 0:17:25So, he's chartered an industrial barge,
0:17:25 > 0:17:28normally used by the oil industry off shore.
0:17:28 > 0:17:32His crew will work from a basket suspended from a 50-metre crane
0:17:32 > 0:17:36and try to take the old buildings down by hand.
0:17:36 > 0:17:38Any false moves and they could end up destroying
0:17:38 > 0:17:43parts of the Grade II listed pier, and be hit with a hefty repair bill.
0:17:45 > 0:17:48The specialist barge has come all the way from Denmark,
0:17:48 > 0:17:50a journey that's taken over two weeks.
0:18:01 > 0:18:03Cracking, look at that.
0:18:05 > 0:18:08I have to say mate, I wouldn't want to be tugging that in, would you?
0:18:08 > 0:18:10No.
0:18:13 > 0:18:16I think there's 250 tonnes, something like that.
0:18:16 > 0:18:20He's controlling that with the two tugs
0:18:20 > 0:18:23and that's a big old risk because if that nudges into those piles...
0:18:24 > 0:18:28They're not going to put up with that too much. If they hit the pier it's gone.
0:18:34 > 0:18:35Any duty free?
0:18:35 > 0:18:38THEY LAUGH
0:18:38 > 0:18:40Got any bacca?
0:18:41 > 0:18:43I'm saying nothing.
0:18:43 > 0:18:45I love it. Absolutely love it.
0:18:49 > 0:18:52The barge's legs will be drilled into the seabed overnight.
0:18:52 > 0:18:55Then it will be raised to the same level as the pier
0:18:55 > 0:18:57and work can begin.
0:18:57 > 0:18:59But there's a major flaw with Mark's unique demolition plan.
0:18:59 > 0:19:03It can only go ahead if the weather is right.
0:19:03 > 0:19:05The barge is great and the plan's brilliant.
0:19:05 > 0:19:08The issue is because of the weather controls the barge.
0:19:08 > 0:19:11If it's too windy, the barge can't work cos the crane can't work.
0:19:11 > 0:19:14So again, it is a bit nerve-racking, one of those things,
0:19:14 > 0:19:16because if it doesn't go ahead then we're going to be
0:19:16 > 0:19:18snookered for some period of time.
0:19:18 > 0:19:21With good weather needed throughout,
0:19:21 > 0:19:24Mark's plot to save the pier is in the hands of the gods.
0:19:28 > 0:19:32'BBC Radio Oxford News at one o'clock, I'm Amanda Della.
0:19:33 > 0:19:35'Should the Didcot power station towers be
0:19:35 > 0:19:37'demolished during the day?
0:19:37 > 0:19:39'More than 700 people think so.
0:19:39 > 0:19:42'They've signed an online petition calling to change the time
0:19:42 > 0:19:45'of the demolition which has been set for before dawn...
0:19:49 > 0:19:52The planned night-time demolition of Didcot's cooling towers
0:19:52 > 0:19:55is causing controversy
0:19:55 > 0:19:58as hundreds of residents are calling for it to be
0:19:58 > 0:20:01rescheduled for the daytime, so they can come out to watch.
0:20:03 > 0:20:06It's a day of work, shall I say, Neville.
0:20:06 > 0:20:08It's not a public event, shall I say?
0:20:08 > 0:20:10It's not a public event.
0:20:10 > 0:20:13For project director Kieran the prospect of a huge crowd
0:20:13 > 0:20:16can make it too dangerous to go ahead.
0:20:16 > 0:20:17Cheers, bye-bye.
0:20:17 > 0:20:21And whilst he's battling to keep crowd numbers low, he's got a new headache.
0:20:21 > 0:20:24First Great Western. Ah right, OK.
0:20:24 > 0:20:28Local businesses are trying to use the blow down as a publicity tool.
0:20:28 > 0:20:30It gets worse.
0:20:30 > 0:20:32So, it says here, "Those wishing to watch this great spectacle
0:20:32 > 0:20:35"are welcome to use our car park, free of charge,
0:20:35 > 0:20:38"and it's just a short walk for the safe viewing area."
0:20:38 > 0:20:40But there is no safe viewing area,
0:20:40 > 0:20:42we haven't put anything on for people.
0:20:42 > 0:20:46This is over and above what has happened on any other blow down
0:20:46 > 0:20:49that we've done in the last... since the year 2000.
0:20:51 > 0:20:53I've got a kennel club actually ringing me up
0:20:53 > 0:20:55worrying about the dogs on a night-time.
0:20:55 > 0:20:57That's the last thing on my plate
0:20:57 > 0:20:59if I have to try and find accommodation
0:20:59 > 0:21:02for some pets and poodles.
0:21:04 > 0:21:07God, yeah, I've never come across anything this intense.
0:21:07 > 0:21:09I mean, normally, you...
0:21:10 > 0:21:12A tower block or something, you expect this
0:21:12 > 0:21:16and you've got to evacuate people, so that's what you do.
0:21:16 > 0:21:17Yeah.
0:21:17 > 0:21:19But, you know, this is a closed site, it's...
0:21:19 > 0:21:22The build-up to this has, it's gone on for ages, hasn't it?
0:21:22 > 0:21:24Yeah, and it's just spiralled.
0:21:24 > 0:21:25But, luckily, you know,
0:21:25 > 0:21:29our captain keeps this ship sailing in the right direction.
0:21:29 > 0:21:31Without him we'd be lost.
0:21:31 > 0:21:33He's like a hero to me.
0:21:33 > 0:21:35I mean when I grow up... PHONE RINGS
0:21:35 > 0:21:37..I want to be like Kieran. Excuse me.
0:21:37 > 0:21:40I'll try and teach you everything I know, Chris, all right?
0:21:40 > 0:21:43I'll try and teach you everything I know.
0:21:43 > 0:21:46Obviously the kennel club don't want to know about the blow down.
0:21:48 > 0:21:51Let's see whether Asda want to know about it.
0:21:55 > 0:21:57With the explosive demolition looming,
0:21:57 > 0:22:01cooling tower fever is only set to get worse in Didcot.
0:22:01 > 0:22:03It's good news for one local resident.
0:22:05 > 0:22:08I think they're actually really graceful structures.
0:22:08 > 0:22:12I think the shape of the cooling towers especially is really lovely.
0:22:12 > 0:22:14Compared to anything else I've done,
0:22:14 > 0:22:17this has just gone bananas.
0:22:17 > 0:22:20It's... I've sold so many of the prints.
0:22:22 > 0:22:24I'm just... I'm flabbergasted.
0:22:24 > 0:22:26It's good. Yeah, it's really good.
0:22:28 > 0:22:31So when they bring the towers down, we're going to go and watch from...
0:22:31 > 0:22:34There's a local park in the middle of the estate
0:22:34 > 0:22:36and there's two mounds...
0:22:36 > 0:22:39so I think quite a lot of people want to go up there.
0:22:39 > 0:22:43I think it would be quite a good community feeling up there
0:22:43 > 0:22:44in the middle of the night.
0:22:44 > 0:22:47It'll be weird, but fun.
0:22:47 > 0:22:49So, yeah, I'm looking forward to going out,
0:22:49 > 0:22:54even though I don't think the people who are taking down the power station
0:22:54 > 0:22:57really want it to be a big thing.
0:22:57 > 0:23:00But it's impossible to stop everybody.
0:23:01 > 0:23:03We're too...too determined.
0:23:06 > 0:23:10The 10,000 tonne towers are being readied for blasting.
0:23:11 > 0:23:15But as the pressure to reschedule the demolition to the daytime grows,
0:23:15 > 0:23:17an 11th hour meeting has been called.
0:23:17 > 0:23:20There are six people, actually, to evacuate
0:23:20 > 0:23:22from the Trident Business Park.
0:23:22 > 0:23:24They work 24/7 on there, 7 days a week.
0:23:24 > 0:23:27We have got the facility to contact all of the tenants and...
0:23:27 > 0:23:29Coleman and Company's directors have come to Didcot
0:23:29 > 0:23:32to meet council officials and the police
0:23:32 > 0:23:35to put their case for keeping the blasts at night.
0:23:35 > 0:23:37We expect a lot of public to be out there.
0:23:37 > 0:23:40We need to make sure that they are safe.
0:23:40 > 0:23:43We understand you've done the risk assessment at the earlier time,
0:23:43 > 0:23:47what we wanted to see was whether you'd done a risk assessment
0:23:47 > 0:23:49for that later time.
0:23:49 > 0:23:52The whole process that we go through as a demolition contractor,
0:23:52 > 0:23:54is to deter people from coming
0:23:54 > 0:23:57and we are not happy that putting it back,
0:23:57 > 0:24:01trying to pin a time, to an exact time or putting it back,
0:24:01 > 0:24:04is going to be in the interests of public safety.
0:24:04 > 0:24:07And therefore we have to deter public from coming.
0:24:09 > 0:24:11You will not stop everybody from coming.
0:24:11 > 0:24:15I think we are quite clear there will be a public event,
0:24:15 > 0:24:18so it needs to be owned and managed.
0:24:18 > 0:24:21What I don't want to be doing is getting involved
0:24:21 > 0:24:25with trying to coordinate 3,000 or 5,000 people standing in a field.
0:24:25 > 0:24:27You know, we are trying to discourage this,
0:24:27 > 0:24:30so we will actually issue a press release that says,
0:24:30 > 0:24:34"Don't come. It is potentially dangerous to yourselves."
0:24:34 > 0:24:38There are dust clouds, you get people with grit in their eyes.
0:24:38 > 0:24:41There are all sorts of very, very practical, obvious reasons
0:24:41 > 0:24:45why we discourage people from coming to these jobs,
0:24:45 > 0:24:47which is effectively what it is.
0:24:53 > 0:24:56It's agreed that the demolition will be held at night
0:24:56 > 0:24:59in the hope that it will deter the crowds.
0:24:59 > 0:25:03Watching large structures come tumbling down can be dangerous
0:25:03 > 0:25:05as Kieran knows all too well.
0:25:07 > 0:25:10I've actually had experiences of the dust cloud
0:25:10 > 0:25:13from controlled explosives.
0:25:13 > 0:25:17Within seconds you are engulfed by this cloud of dust.
0:25:18 > 0:25:21It was like the fog from that old classic film.
0:25:21 > 0:25:24The fog, it actually followed you around the corner,
0:25:24 > 0:25:27it pelted with you with little fine particles of dust.
0:25:27 > 0:25:29It's almost like a little sand blaster.
0:25:29 > 0:25:32There is a chance that someone will be, or several people might be,
0:25:32 > 0:25:34engulfed by it.
0:25:34 > 0:25:37It really depends on the prevailing winds on the day.
0:25:37 > 0:25:40We're going to have to deal with thousands of people turning up here,
0:25:40 > 0:25:43and that's something that we are going to have deal with,
0:25:43 > 0:25:46because if they get out of hand, if they get rowdy or whatever,
0:25:46 > 0:25:47it will cause an issue.
0:25:47 > 0:25:49It will cause a problem for us.
0:25:56 > 0:25:59In Hastings, the barge is in position...
0:25:59 > 0:26:00Nice and steady.
0:26:00 > 0:26:03..and Mark can inspect the full extent of the fire damage
0:26:03 > 0:26:04for the first time
0:26:04 > 0:26:06before beginning work on removing the wrecked buildings
0:26:06 > 0:26:09to try and save the pier.
0:26:09 > 0:26:12I just want to give it a bit of a touch.
0:26:12 > 0:26:14Nothing too... Nothing too strenuous.
0:26:16 > 0:26:19He's had to employ the unorthodox technique
0:26:19 > 0:26:22of working from a basket suspended from a crane...
0:26:22 > 0:26:23Whole lot's moving though, isn't it?
0:26:23 > 0:26:26..as the pier is so weak that it can't take the weight
0:26:26 > 0:26:28of traditional demolition machinery.
0:26:28 > 0:26:30Hold on the wire there, Dave.
0:26:30 > 0:26:32Come round two metres to your right on the slip.
0:26:33 > 0:26:35Mark's under extra pressure.
0:26:35 > 0:26:39He needs to remove the buildings before the bad weather comes in
0:26:39 > 0:26:40and stops all work,
0:26:40 > 0:26:42but he's got to be careful that in his haste
0:26:42 > 0:26:46he doesn't do any more damage to the Grade II listed pier
0:26:46 > 0:26:48where his grandfather worked.
0:26:48 > 0:26:51From here we can see the collapse of the...
0:26:51 > 0:26:53The RSJ that was coming through there,
0:26:53 > 0:26:54you see the collapse of it now
0:26:54 > 0:26:56and why that's come down there, can't you, from here?
0:26:56 > 0:26:59It's purely the fact that it's landed on that column
0:26:59 > 0:27:01that's stopped it going.
0:27:01 > 0:27:03You can see where it's tore the end of that truss off
0:27:03 > 0:27:05through the centre there altogether.
0:27:05 > 0:27:07It's a bit of spaghetti, isn't it?
0:27:12 > 0:27:14It's the first time we've had the opportunity
0:27:14 > 0:27:16to actually see exactly what's going on.
0:27:18 > 0:27:21The whole collapse seems to be set on a couple of specific locations
0:27:21 > 0:27:24and they do seem to look like they're taking quite a lot of load.
0:27:26 > 0:27:28So just need to get the weight off it as much as we can
0:27:28 > 0:27:30before we start cutting.
0:27:32 > 0:27:34Yeah, it's a bit of a mess in there, though.
0:27:36 > 0:27:40Before the major challenge of removing the heavy twisted steel,
0:27:40 > 0:27:41the team has to remove the brickwork
0:27:41 > 0:27:44to reduce the weight of the building.
0:27:44 > 0:27:48Parts of the fire-damaged pier are too weak even to walk on.
0:27:48 > 0:27:52As a precaution, Mark has hired a two-man kayak support crew
0:27:52 > 0:27:55in case any of his workers fall into the water below.
0:27:55 > 0:27:58- ON RADIO:- 'Down a little bit please, mate.'
0:28:01 > 0:28:04With the barge costing £15,000 a day,
0:28:04 > 0:28:07the demolition team will work shifts around the clock.
0:28:07 > 0:28:09You got your radio on channel five?
0:28:10 > 0:28:12Tonight is the first night shift.
0:28:13 > 0:28:16Watch you're left of that basket there, Ken.
0:28:20 > 0:28:22The weather at the moment's fairly good,
0:28:22 > 0:28:24so we need to make sure we work with the good weather.
0:28:24 > 0:28:26You can't get better weather than this -
0:28:26 > 0:28:27no wind, no heavy seas, no nothing -
0:28:27 > 0:28:30so we really want to make sure we make the most of it.
0:28:32 > 0:28:35There's so much weight there. If that pulls that,
0:28:35 > 0:28:38the whole lot will go and we'll have a huge hole,
0:28:38 > 0:28:39and then we've got a massive problem
0:28:39 > 0:28:41because it'll just do too much damage.
0:28:45 > 0:28:48Bit of stress on that, wasn't it?
0:28:48 > 0:28:50Cut the bit on the right.
0:28:50 > 0:28:54- That's your left.- Cut the bit on the left, get them out the way.
0:28:55 > 0:29:00Just an hour into the night shift, a problem appears on the horizon.
0:29:00 > 0:29:02THUNDER RUMBLES
0:29:04 > 0:29:05Lightning coming in.
0:29:07 > 0:29:10Continuous, no break in it at all.
0:29:10 > 0:29:11Got to bring the basket in.
0:29:14 > 0:29:16In you come.
0:29:16 > 0:29:19Get her in there, boys. That's all we need, isn't it?
0:29:24 > 0:29:27That just shows you all the lightning strikes here.
0:29:27 > 0:29:29Bit dodgy when you're hanging off a metal hook.
0:29:30 > 0:29:32I don't want to fry.
0:29:38 > 0:29:41Lightning - one thing we cannot work with.
0:29:41 > 0:29:43We've got 52 metres of stick on our crane,
0:29:43 > 0:29:46stuck off shore with a man riding...
0:29:46 > 0:29:49So we've just had to shut everything down, bring all the boys down.
0:29:49 > 0:29:51Yeah, that's us now for what might be whole night, we don't know,
0:29:51 > 0:29:52We just don't know.
0:29:59 > 0:30:03So any road, where's my bowl of strawberries and my Ready Brek?
0:30:03 > 0:30:04- Fridge.- Fridge.
0:30:05 > 0:30:08In Lancashire, Paul's team has gathered at his converted farmhouse
0:30:08 > 0:30:11in the middle of the night.
0:30:11 > 0:30:15This weekend, his crew of 15 men will be working against the clock
0:30:15 > 0:30:17to take down a disused bridge.
0:30:17 > 0:30:19Half past two on a Saturday morning.
0:30:19 > 0:30:22Everyone else is just coming out of nightclubs, aren't they?
0:30:22 > 0:30:26- Yeah.- Look what we're doing. - Taking a bridge down.
0:30:26 > 0:30:29Do you reckon it's just one day or two days?
0:30:29 > 0:30:32We're going to get the bridge down tonight by tea time.
0:30:32 > 0:30:34That's the plan.
0:30:36 > 0:30:37- Good plan. - We can't fail.
0:30:41 > 0:30:44The Highways Agency have shut the road
0:30:44 > 0:30:46to allow the demolition to go ahead,
0:30:46 > 0:30:48but if Paul's team doesn't complete the job on time
0:30:48 > 0:30:50he'll be hit with a heavy fine.
0:30:51 > 0:30:53Get off, you daft devil.
0:30:57 > 0:30:59Very exciting, it's like Christmas Eve, isn't it,
0:30:59 > 0:31:01when you were a kid?
0:31:02 > 0:31:05Bit worried, though, as well. Always worried.
0:31:05 > 0:31:09I suppose the nearest thing it would be to is like going on holiday.
0:31:09 > 0:31:12You always forget something, don't you?
0:31:12 > 0:31:13Come on, boys.
0:31:14 > 0:31:17Jackie, Terry, we need that timber up here.
0:31:18 > 0:31:19We need some boards.
0:31:19 > 0:31:22Get it off from there, get it out. I want all this wagon emptying now.
0:31:22 > 0:31:24Come on, Andrew, get it all off.
0:31:26 > 0:31:29Military history buff Paul might have never been in the army,
0:31:29 > 0:31:33but on site, there's no doubting who's commander-in-chief.
0:31:33 > 0:31:36Get down here, we need some men down here. Come on.
0:31:39 > 0:31:42'You've got to run it like a military campaign.
0:31:42 > 0:31:45'You know, you've got your officers, you've got your sergeants,
0:31:45 > 0:31:46'you've got your privates.
0:31:46 > 0:31:49'So you've got your tank drivers which are your machines,
0:31:49 > 0:31:51'it's very much like a military operation, isn't it?'
0:31:51 > 0:31:52Hang on. Whoa!
0:31:52 > 0:31:53What are you doing?
0:31:55 > 0:31:58'When you looked at D-Day, Eisenhower,
0:31:58 > 0:32:01'he'd been planning it for two years with all his generals.
0:32:01 > 0:32:05'And once he's finished he were out of it, I won't be out of it.
0:32:05 > 0:32:08'I'll be in the thick of it with the troops, yeah.'
0:32:10 > 0:32:13Some more boards to do the other side yet, Robert.
0:32:13 > 0:32:15Go and get yourself a labourer.
0:32:20 > 0:32:21It's all right this demolition game,
0:32:21 > 0:32:24but you need about £1 million worth of tackle
0:32:24 > 0:32:25to get a day's work done.
0:32:27 > 0:32:3350 grand, 35 grand, 20 grand before you get owt down.
0:32:34 > 0:32:36Little tiger cub.
0:32:37 > 0:32:40Tyger, tyger burning bright, in the forests of the night;
0:32:40 > 0:32:44What a immortal hand or eye, could frame thy fearful symmetry?
0:32:45 > 0:32:48I've always fancied painting one like a tiger,
0:32:48 > 0:32:50so I painted this one for a bit of a show one time.
0:32:55 > 0:32:57It's only a little digger this, 14 tonne.
0:32:58 > 0:33:02Tommy, let's get a bucket on this digger now.
0:33:02 > 0:33:05The bridge has to come down today
0:33:05 > 0:33:07to give his crew any chance of clearing the debris
0:33:07 > 0:33:11and reopening the road in time for the Monday morning rush hour.
0:33:12 > 0:33:15The steel side panels will be removed by crane,
0:33:15 > 0:33:17but before they can be lifted out,
0:33:17 > 0:33:21the heavy concrete base that they're attached to has to be destroyed.
0:33:22 > 0:33:25Paul hasn't had access to the bridge until now,
0:33:25 > 0:33:27so he has no idea how strong the concrete is.
0:33:34 > 0:33:37Not much ash here, straight down onto deck.
0:33:37 > 0:33:41There's only a cup full of ash on top, we're on concrete.
0:33:41 > 0:33:43Not much ash here, old lad.
0:33:43 > 0:33:45Come on, then, let's get it off.
0:33:49 > 0:33:51Let's just wish for a little luck here
0:33:51 > 0:33:53because we don't know how reinforced it is.
0:33:53 > 0:33:55Not too reinforced...
0:33:56 > 0:33:59..we're on t'winning side then, aren't we?
0:34:03 > 0:34:05Yeah, let's get these scissor lifts now, some burner gear set up,
0:34:05 > 0:34:08blow a few bolts, we'll be wrecking it in two minutes.
0:34:14 > 0:34:16It's not going to be easy.
0:34:18 > 0:34:20I don't know what we're going to do here.
0:34:24 > 0:34:26Concrete's a lot tougher than I thought.
0:34:30 > 0:34:33These things are sent to try us, and it's trying me.
0:34:44 > 0:34:47After the lightning storm in Hastings...
0:34:47 > 0:34:50the demolition team can get back to work
0:34:50 > 0:34:54taking down the burnt-out buildings to try and save the pier.
0:34:54 > 0:34:56- Jack, can you hear me? - 'Yes, mate.'
0:34:58 > 0:35:01If the building collapses and someone falls through the deck,
0:35:01 > 0:35:04two safety kayaks are on hand to try and rescue them.
0:35:07 > 0:35:09Jack, bearing in mind this side is a bit more awkward
0:35:09 > 0:35:11to get that steel off, mate,
0:35:11 > 0:35:13if you want to cut it out in bigger sections,
0:35:13 > 0:35:15ie, triangles or whatever, to save someone the cutting and time.
0:35:15 > 0:35:16'All right, mate.'
0:35:22 > 0:35:26But once again, as soon as work starts...
0:35:26 > 0:35:27it's called to a sudden halt.
0:35:28 > 0:35:29Yo!
0:35:31 > 0:35:33Stop.
0:35:33 > 0:35:35It's down now, boys.
0:35:35 > 0:35:40We've just got a swimmer coming quite at speed, actually.
0:35:40 > 0:35:42Fair play to him, he is at it,
0:35:42 > 0:35:44but he's coming in quite fast towards the pier.
0:35:44 > 0:35:47I doubt if he'll go under it, we just want to let the kayaks know
0:35:47 > 0:35:51just in case he does think he's going to swim straight underneath.
0:35:54 > 0:35:57I kid you not he's going at it, isn't he?
0:35:57 > 0:35:59He's hell of a swimmer.
0:35:59 > 0:36:02- He is, in't it? - Because he's absolutely banging on.
0:36:02 > 0:36:05'He's not going to stop, we're going to guide him through.'
0:36:05 > 0:36:08Yeah over, received. Incredible.
0:36:11 > 0:36:13If any falling debris hits the swimmer,
0:36:13 > 0:36:16Mark and his team will be liable.
0:36:16 > 0:36:17He's going back now.
0:36:19 > 0:36:21Ah, he's a bit slow going back.
0:36:21 > 0:36:22MARK LAUGHS
0:36:26 > 0:36:27All clear to resume works, over.
0:36:29 > 0:36:31Just something else to stop us.
0:36:31 > 0:36:34Slow us down.
0:36:34 > 0:36:38Today, Mark faces the most critical section of the whole demolition -
0:36:38 > 0:36:40bringing down the heavy steel frame
0:36:40 > 0:36:42that once formed the roof of the ballroom
0:36:42 > 0:36:46but now hangs precariously ten metres above the fragile pier.
0:36:46 > 0:36:49If it twists and falls in the wrong direction,
0:36:49 > 0:36:52it could crash through the deck causing serious structural damage
0:36:52 > 0:36:53to the listed pier below.
0:36:56 > 0:36:58Just bank us in, mate, we know what we're going to do, don't we?
0:36:58 > 0:37:00Fire us up, there, mate.
0:37:00 > 0:37:02As the steel has been so badly fire damaged,
0:37:02 > 0:37:05it's very difficult to know how it will behave...
0:37:05 > 0:37:07I just want him to touch the beam.
0:37:07 > 0:37:10..so Mark is forced into making an educated guess.
0:37:13 > 0:37:16At the moment where its up so high,
0:37:16 > 0:37:17even I try to reach down and cut it,
0:37:17 > 0:37:21there's a chance it might come down and hit the concrete beam.
0:37:21 > 0:37:25OK, squeeze up on the wire please, Dave, squeeze up on the wire.
0:37:25 > 0:37:28That's right where I want to be, Mark, lovely.
0:37:36 > 0:37:38Going to heat this over a little bit.
0:37:48 > 0:37:50Head back a bit, head back.
0:37:53 > 0:37:55Is that starting to hinge?
0:37:55 > 0:37:58I see that, mate. She's opening up a little bit, same as before.
0:37:58 > 0:37:59OK.
0:37:59 > 0:38:03See how it's opened up on the cut this side,
0:38:03 > 0:38:05so it's starting to hinge.
0:38:07 > 0:38:09Hanging on till the bitter end.
0:38:16 > 0:38:18All good.
0:38:18 > 0:38:19Yeah!
0:38:20 > 0:38:22- It laid down quite nice, didn't it? - Yeah, it did.
0:38:22 > 0:38:24- It came down really nicely. - Lovely.
0:38:26 > 0:38:30Having successfully made the most crucial cut of the project,
0:38:30 > 0:38:32Mark's team should now be able to crack on
0:38:32 > 0:38:34with removing the rest of the steel.
0:38:35 > 0:38:37It came down as we wanted, which was, again, very good.
0:38:37 > 0:38:41So, yeah, that was quite a critical part of that job, yeah.
0:38:41 > 0:38:44We've had the lightning yesterday, the swimmer this morning.
0:38:44 > 0:38:46Yeah, I don't know what else it's going to throw at us.
0:38:47 > 0:38:50No more thunder storms and we'll be all right.
0:39:00 > 0:39:02We're not doing very well.
0:39:02 > 0:39:05We're probably two-and-a-half, three hours behind.
0:39:07 > 0:39:09It's a tough old bugger.
0:39:09 > 0:39:11It's coming down though.
0:39:11 > 0:39:14Come hell or high water, that bridge is coming down.
0:39:16 > 0:39:18I think this is a bridge too far for him.
0:39:22 > 0:39:24Bridge Over The River CRY.
0:39:27 > 0:39:30Paul has been on site for more than 12 hours.
0:39:30 > 0:39:33The concrete that he's trying to remove from the bridge
0:39:33 > 0:39:34is stronger than he expected.
0:39:36 > 0:39:38The steel is heavier too,
0:39:38 > 0:39:42but that's a more welcome surprise as it can be sold on as scrap.
0:39:44 > 0:39:47Tough, I just didn't think it would be as tough as that.
0:39:49 > 0:39:50Anyway, they're 20mm girders,
0:39:50 > 0:39:52so I might make a bit more on scrap, eh?
0:39:56 > 0:39:59The bridge has to be down by the end of today.
0:39:59 > 0:40:01To try and claw back some much needed time,
0:40:01 > 0:40:03Paul's taking a gamble.
0:40:03 > 0:40:06He's decided to try and lift the metal panels off
0:40:06 > 0:40:09with some of the concrete still attached.
0:40:09 > 0:40:11It means the crane will be lifting
0:40:11 > 0:40:14much closer to its maximum capacity than planned.
0:40:14 > 0:40:16If it can't handle the lift,
0:40:16 > 0:40:18the road closure will have to be extended
0:40:18 > 0:40:20while they remove more concrete.
0:40:20 > 0:40:22What can you lift all in, 35?
0:40:23 > 0:40:24It depends where we are.
0:40:24 > 0:40:26Well, we've only got 31 tonnes' worth of chain.
0:40:26 > 0:40:29We've got two sets of 15-and-a-half, gives us 31 tonnes.
0:40:29 > 0:40:32Because you said 15 up to 30, so...
0:40:36 > 0:40:38We've rigged it to t'specification of what you asked for.
0:40:38 > 0:40:40All right, all right. The contract.
0:40:48 > 0:40:50So this has put ten tonne on the lift.
0:40:50 > 0:40:54So the lift's gone from 16 tonne to 25 tonne.
0:40:54 > 0:40:58I've still got a margin of error of 4 tonne. I'd have liked more.
0:41:05 > 0:41:07Four inches to go.
0:41:15 > 0:41:17What's on it, Ash?
0:41:19 > 0:41:2028 tonne, bang on.
0:41:22 > 0:41:25So that way it's about 25.4.
0:41:26 > 0:41:30That girder weighs four.
0:41:30 > 0:41:32It can do its job.
0:41:32 > 0:41:33Professional.
0:41:36 > 0:41:3725.4.
0:41:37 > 0:41:40I said it would be about 26 tonne, didn't I? Something like that.
0:41:40 > 0:41:4327 tonne, so, yeah, I'm really happy, yeah.
0:41:43 > 0:41:45There we go.
0:41:50 > 0:41:52That's the bridge now.
0:41:52 > 0:41:55Not much of a bridge now, is it, eh?
0:41:55 > 0:41:58Not much of a bridge now, I'll tell you what it is now -
0:41:58 > 0:42:00it's about 8 grand worth of scrap.
0:42:00 > 0:42:02That's what it is now - scrap.
0:42:07 > 0:42:10That's right.
0:42:10 > 0:42:12Going nowhere that, go on, lad.
0:42:14 > 0:42:16It's one panel down and one to go,
0:42:16 > 0:42:19but with time ticking on, it's going to be tough to hit the deadline
0:42:19 > 0:42:21and get it done today.
0:42:24 > 0:42:28It's quarter to six, we're more than halfway through.
0:42:28 > 0:42:30We're still about two hours behind,
0:42:30 > 0:42:32I'm losing the light at eight o'clock,
0:42:32 > 0:42:34but it's going to be tight.
0:42:40 > 0:42:42There's less than 24 hours to go until Kieran's team
0:42:42 > 0:42:46attempt to reduce the 100m-high cooling towers
0:42:46 > 0:42:47to a pile of rubble.
0:42:49 > 0:42:52If the explosive engineer has got his calculations right,
0:42:52 > 0:42:54a series of blasts will bring the towers down
0:42:54 > 0:42:56into a small target area
0:42:56 > 0:42:59and won't leave any parts of them standing.
0:43:01 > 0:43:03Got to go.
0:43:03 > 0:43:06Chris, have you got the access cards?
0:43:06 > 0:43:07Ahead of the big night,
0:43:07 > 0:43:11project director Kieran is putting his team of more than 50 men
0:43:11 > 0:43:13through their final paces.
0:43:13 > 0:43:15One thing I asked you to sort out,
0:43:15 > 0:43:18one thing I've asked you to sort out...
0:43:18 > 0:43:21Come on, let's go, come on. Let's step it up a bit, come on.
0:43:23 > 0:43:25Good job I'm here.
0:43:25 > 0:43:27Sorting it all out for them.
0:43:29 > 0:43:30I'm absolutely buzzing.
0:43:30 > 0:43:32I love this, sort of, organisation and planning.
0:43:32 > 0:43:35I want to make sure everyone knows what they need to do.
0:43:35 > 0:43:38Blokes need to know what they have to do.
0:43:38 > 0:43:39Come on, then, let's go.
0:43:39 > 0:43:41You've already got access cards, yeah?
0:43:50 > 0:43:53The nearby roads will all be closed overnight,
0:43:53 > 0:43:56an exclusion zone of almost a kilometre is being put in place
0:43:56 > 0:43:59to keep the public away from the danger zone.
0:44:00 > 0:44:02So can you go back, like, ten yards?
0:44:02 > 0:44:04The controversy over the proposed timing of the blow down
0:44:04 > 0:44:07has fuelled local media interest,
0:44:07 > 0:44:09so Kieran has launched a charm offensive
0:44:09 > 0:44:13to explain why he doesn't want large crowds turning up to watch.
0:44:14 > 0:44:16Have you done media studies?
0:44:16 > 0:44:19No, no, I did English and then I did my post-grad in journalism...
0:44:19 > 0:44:22Oh, right, educated as well.
0:44:22 > 0:44:23Well, I guess that was always...
0:44:23 > 0:44:26'Kieran, it's fair to say, has the gift of the gab,'
0:44:26 > 0:44:27but don't say I said that.
0:44:28 > 0:44:31Yeah, some say he's one with the ladies.
0:44:31 > 0:44:34Personally I don't think that.
0:44:34 > 0:44:36So do you want me looking at you or...?
0:44:36 > 0:44:38- Yeah, looking at me.- If you want to come round that way...
0:44:38 > 0:44:40'He's definitely a good talker.'
0:44:40 > 0:44:44I think people naturally warm to him and because they believe him as well.
0:44:44 > 0:44:45I mean there has been a petition
0:44:45 > 0:44:47with thousands of signatures on already,
0:44:47 > 0:44:48how do you feel about that?
0:44:48 > 0:44:50We can understand it.
0:44:50 > 0:44:52We can understand that we're here destroying
0:44:52 > 0:44:55what is an iconic landmark for South Oxford on here,
0:44:55 > 0:44:58but we're trying to do it with some compassion
0:44:58 > 0:45:00whilst maintaining and doing a project at the same time.
0:45:00 > 0:45:03There have been concerns about the time this demolition is happening,
0:45:03 > 0:45:06between three and five in the morning,
0:45:06 > 0:45:08is there no way of being able to move that,
0:45:08 > 0:45:10you know, what's the reason behind it?
0:45:10 > 0:45:13We're not making this a public event,
0:45:13 > 0:45:14we don't want to make it a public event.
0:45:14 > 0:45:17We understand that there's going to be a public interest,
0:45:17 > 0:45:19but we're trying to discourage people from coming here
0:45:19 > 0:45:22because at the end of the day, it is a place of work.
0:45:28 > 0:45:29Come on, guys, let's go.
0:45:29 > 0:45:31See you later, guys. See yous tonight, yeah?
0:45:31 > 0:45:32Stay out the pubs.
0:45:35 > 0:45:36See you later.
0:45:36 > 0:45:38See you later, Ashley, all right, take care.
0:45:42 > 0:45:43Leave him alone.
0:45:43 > 0:45:44See you later, yeah?
0:45:51 > 0:45:54Well, that's all the troops gone. This is the last throes, now.
0:45:54 > 0:45:57It's been a busy day today, hot weather.
0:45:57 > 0:45:59Everyone's sweating like buckets
0:45:59 > 0:46:02just to make sure they can get it done.
0:46:02 > 0:46:05They want to get in, get the job done and get away,
0:46:05 > 0:46:08so it's a little bit of banter as the lads go out.
0:46:08 > 0:46:11We appreciate it, you appreciate the efforts that they go to and that,
0:46:11 > 0:46:12so, yeah, they'll all be back.
0:46:12 > 0:46:14They'll all go back to their hotels
0:46:14 > 0:46:16and then back here at midnight, yeah.
0:46:18 > 0:46:19For the last time.
0:46:26 > 0:46:28All right, then.
0:46:28 > 0:46:30- Finished.- That's it. Done.
0:46:30 > 0:46:31See you at midnight.
0:46:35 > 0:46:39Paul had hoped to complete the bridge demolition in daylight,
0:46:39 > 0:46:41but it's taken much longer than planned.
0:46:41 > 0:46:45He's now been on site for more than 18 hours.
0:46:45 > 0:46:48But with the second panel finally ready to be hoisted,
0:46:48 > 0:46:51he can still get the job done today
0:46:51 > 0:46:53if he gets it down on the first attempt.
0:46:53 > 0:46:56Here we go, show time.
0:46:56 > 0:46:57Saturday night!
0:47:01 > 0:47:04Beats X Factor, doesn't it?
0:47:04 > 0:47:06I've certainly not got stars in my eyes.
0:47:10 > 0:47:12Hang on, hang on, hang on.
0:47:12 > 0:47:14It's going that, it's going.
0:47:26 > 0:47:28Lovely job.
0:47:28 > 0:47:31Paul will send a team back to clear up the debris tomorrow,
0:47:31 > 0:47:34and the road will be ready to be reopened on time.
0:47:34 > 0:47:37For Paul, it's a job well done.
0:47:37 > 0:47:4219 hours we've been on this site, 19 hours.
0:47:42 > 0:47:44I'm four hours worse than I wanted to be,
0:47:44 > 0:47:47but I'll tell you one thing...
0:47:47 > 0:47:49that bridge has gone.
0:47:49 > 0:47:51That bridge is no more.
0:47:54 > 0:47:55What's everybody else doing?
0:47:55 > 0:47:58Sat on couch watching X Factor.
0:47:58 > 0:48:01Look what I've done. I've made that bridge disappear.
0:48:07 > 0:48:10In Hastings, the remnants of the fire-damaged buildings
0:48:10 > 0:48:12have been successfully removed
0:48:12 > 0:48:15and the barge has set sail once again.
0:48:15 > 0:48:18Now all that's left is for the concrete floor to be removed,
0:48:18 > 0:48:22so Mark has called in his robotic assistant.
0:48:22 > 0:48:24They're quite funny little things, you know,
0:48:24 > 0:48:26it's not the sort of thing you see on everyday sites.
0:48:26 > 0:48:29But this on in particular is a tidy little one,
0:48:29 > 0:48:32so, yeah, it is like a little Tonka toy on site.
0:48:39 > 0:48:41With demolition almost done,
0:48:41 > 0:48:43the new deck is being laid
0:48:43 > 0:48:45and the pier where Mark's grandfather used to work
0:48:45 > 0:48:47will have its new lease of life.
0:48:50 > 0:48:52So this will be interesting for you, won't it?
0:48:52 > 0:48:56But before he signs off, Mark's work will be inspected...
0:48:56 > 0:48:58by his mum.
0:48:58 > 0:49:01One second. They're really awkward to get in.
0:49:01 > 0:49:02Put your hands in.
0:49:02 > 0:49:05- Your poor mother. - You'll be all right.
0:49:05 > 0:49:07- I guess. - Hat on.
0:49:09 > 0:49:11- Is that OK? - Yeah, it's good.
0:49:11 > 0:49:12OK.
0:49:12 > 0:49:15So, over this side, you can see what they've done over here.
0:49:15 > 0:49:17They've already started to build all of this.
0:49:17 > 0:49:19It just looks so different.
0:49:19 > 0:49:22And this part was where the ballroom was,
0:49:22 > 0:49:25and Dad's office was at the end of it.
0:49:25 > 0:49:28You almost forget the, sort of, nastiness
0:49:28 > 0:49:30of the demolition side of things
0:49:30 > 0:49:31in regards to what was there.
0:49:35 > 0:49:38- It's absolutely amazing what they've done already.- Yeah?
0:49:38 > 0:49:42- I mean... - I mean, well, look at what we had.
0:49:42 > 0:49:45Everything is new, everything is brand-new, isn't it?
0:49:45 > 0:49:46Yeah.
0:49:46 > 0:49:48You can just imagine with, you know, families coming down here,
0:49:48 > 0:49:51cos, you know, if you can walk right to the end of the pier like this
0:49:51 > 0:49:54- and look back on the town, it would be great for the families.- It will.
0:50:03 > 0:50:05Oh, well, it's just amazing.
0:50:06 > 0:50:10We've got our pier back and, you know, say to Dad, "It's back"
0:50:10 > 0:50:12cos he'd be so thrilled.
0:50:14 > 0:50:17Whilst one well-loved structure has been handed a new start,
0:50:17 > 0:50:20another is about to meet its end.
0:50:24 > 0:50:28If all goes to plan, tonight, 170 kilos
0:50:28 > 0:50:33of explosive will tear down Didcot A's most iconic structures -
0:50:33 > 0:50:35the 100m-high cooling towers.
0:50:37 > 0:50:42For Kieran, it's the final straight after months of planning.
0:50:42 > 0:50:44You ready, James?
0:50:44 > 0:50:47The precise time of the blow down hasn't been announced
0:50:47 > 0:50:51as it will be dictated by the ever changing weather.
0:50:51 > 0:50:54Undeterred, many residents have come out for the whole night
0:50:54 > 0:50:55so they don't miss it.
0:51:01 > 0:51:04So this is the first time they've had an explosive demolition
0:51:04 > 0:51:08in Didcot or even Oxford, they've never seen anything like it.
0:51:08 > 0:51:12People are out in their camper vans, they're sitting on the traffic...
0:51:12 > 0:51:14Of the island of the traffic and, as I went round the corner,
0:51:14 > 0:51:18the cars are just piling up, they're all over the place.
0:51:18 > 0:51:20So, I mean, they've got an awfully long wait.
0:51:20 > 0:51:24'Now, we were told 4:30 was going to be the demolition time,
0:51:24 > 0:51:26'we've now been told it's running a little bit behind schedule,
0:51:26 > 0:51:28'we don't know exactly what time.'
0:51:28 > 0:51:33The button won't be pressed until conditions are exactly right.
0:51:33 > 0:51:36Too much wind and the dust could disrupt the nearby roads
0:51:36 > 0:51:39and railway line or even engulf the onlooking crowds.
0:51:41 > 0:51:44We just walked up the side here and you couldn't see anybody but you
0:51:44 > 0:51:47could just hear a sort of murmur of voices and then, as we came round
0:51:47 > 0:51:49the corner, it's just like,
0:51:49 > 0:51:52"Wow, there's so many people!" It's ridiculous.
0:51:52 > 0:51:54WALKIE-TALKIE BEEPS
0:51:54 > 0:51:57Yeah, they are actually outside the exclusion zone so they don't
0:51:57 > 0:52:00cause us a problem but, obviously, we just need to be aware of them.
0:52:00 > 0:52:02Received, thank you.
0:52:02 > 0:52:04The site is now completely sealed off,
0:52:04 > 0:52:07with sentries guarding the perimeter fence
0:52:07 > 0:52:09but there are concerns that the crowd is growing bigger
0:52:09 > 0:52:11and harder to control.
0:52:11 > 0:52:14We've just had a report that there's youths or guys standing
0:52:14 > 0:52:17on roofs of cars and the police has just gone down to move them on.
0:52:17 > 0:52:19- OK.- OK.
0:52:19 > 0:52:21There's a guy threatening to come across the railway track as well.
0:52:21 > 0:52:23To get home or to...?
0:52:23 > 0:52:25Oh, no, to get closer to the station.
0:52:25 > 0:52:28But he has to go across like, two fences.
0:52:28 > 0:52:31Well, the police have gone to intercept him anyway.
0:52:35 > 0:52:36Oh, there's a firework!
0:52:39 > 0:52:41Yay! Excitement.
0:52:41 > 0:52:45Yeah, the excitement is building now, especially now there's fireworks.
0:52:49 > 0:52:53I was tired when we came on here but I'm not really tired now.
0:52:53 > 0:52:55Yeah, I'm not tired.
0:52:55 > 0:52:58- I'm too excited, I want to stay up. - Yeah.
0:52:58 > 0:53:023, 2, 1!
0:53:02 > 0:53:05SILENCE LAUGHTER
0:53:05 > 0:53:06Not yet.
0:53:09 > 0:53:11It's been six months in the planning
0:53:11 > 0:53:13but the demolition can only go ahead if the police
0:53:13 > 0:53:17and explosive experts are both completely satisfied that it's safe.
0:53:19 > 0:53:22Even at this late hour, it could still be called off.
0:53:22 > 0:53:25This is where all the decision-making happens.
0:53:25 > 0:53:28We decide the fate of the three cooling towers.
0:53:28 > 0:53:32They're in our hands together, lads, they're in our hands together, yes?
0:53:36 > 0:53:39OK, guys, obviously we've had a few little skirmishes
0:53:39 > 0:53:43by the sound of a few people getting a bit restless.
0:53:43 > 0:53:45Crowd-wise, around the Didcot facility,
0:53:45 > 0:53:48- we're looking at 1,000... - Yeah, that's right.
0:53:48 > 0:53:51..in about three groups and we've got officers deployed to those
0:53:51 > 0:53:53and they're all fairly good-natured at the moment.
0:53:53 > 0:53:55There are more people further afield,
0:53:55 > 0:53:57so we estimate probably about 600 or 700.
0:53:57 > 0:54:00But that's great because initial estimates were a lot more than that.
0:54:00 > 0:54:02Well, I'm actually pleased that perhaps people have got
0:54:02 > 0:54:04the message that we're trying to get out.
0:54:05 > 0:54:08I propose that we do proceed with the demolition.
0:54:08 > 0:54:11- Everybody happy with that? - Yeah, yeah.
0:54:11 > 0:54:14OK, we'll be looking at an 0500 blow down.
0:54:14 > 0:54:17- Yeah.- Cool? All right, thank you.
0:54:20 > 0:54:22- ON WALKIE-TALKIE:- Ten minutes till blow down now.
0:54:22 > 0:54:25Sentries, can we make sure we're all extremely vigilant and let us know
0:54:25 > 0:54:29straightaway if you see anything that's untoward in the zone? Over.
0:54:30 > 0:54:32The wind is low enough to proceed
0:54:32 > 0:54:34and the prospects of a duststorm are slight.
0:54:34 > 0:54:37Nine minutes now to blow down.
0:54:37 > 0:54:40In just a few tense minutes, Kieran will find out if the towers
0:54:40 > 0:54:45will collapse as planned with 2,000 people watching.
0:54:45 > 0:54:48Got nine minutes to go, they've just done the warning siren
0:54:48 > 0:54:51on the radio, so I think everyone's just feeling a little bit tense.
0:54:51 > 0:54:55A little bit anxious, a little bit, "Oh, what to expect."
0:54:56 > 0:54:59I was worried we're not going to see anything cos we heard there was
0:54:59 > 0:55:02going to be a 15-minute warning but we haven't heard anything yet.
0:55:02 > 0:55:07ON WALKIE-TALKIE: OK, sentries, excellent visual. Now we're in the final minute prior to blow down.
0:55:07 > 0:55:09Here we go, this is the exciting part.
0:55:12 > 0:55:13One minute to go.
0:55:16 > 0:55:17Exciting, Mark, my heart is pounding.
0:55:17 > 0:55:20- Mine is too.- My heart is pounding.
0:55:20 > 0:55:22It should be from 20.
0:55:22 > 0:55:2320,
0:55:23 > 0:55:2419,
0:55:24 > 0:55:2618,
0:55:26 > 0:55:2817,
0:55:28 > 0:55:2916,
0:55:29 > 0:55:3115,
0:55:31 > 0:55:3314,
0:55:33 > 0:55:3713, 12, 11...
0:55:37 > 0:55:39I'm not supposed to get this excited at work.
0:55:39 > 0:55:41LAUGHTER
0:55:44 > 0:55:46Get ready.
0:55:46 > 0:55:47Firing now.
0:55:56 > 0:55:58Oh, my God.
0:56:09 > 0:56:13CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:56:20 > 0:56:22Go on...
0:56:22 > 0:56:24go on!
0:56:24 > 0:56:25Yeah!
0:56:30 > 0:56:33Oh, my God, they're gone.
0:56:37 > 0:56:39Well done, well done, guys.
0:56:39 > 0:56:42ON RADIO: All sentries please maintain your positions.
0:56:43 > 0:56:50- How exciting was that? Did you feel that in your chest?- I did.
0:56:50 > 0:56:53- It's gone good, it's gone excellent. - Great, wasn't it?
0:56:56 > 0:56:58- Bang! - THEY LAUGH
0:57:04 > 0:57:06- There is it.- There she goes.
0:57:10 > 0:57:12It's eerie, isn't it? It's so eerie.
0:57:14 > 0:57:16The 36,000 tonnes of concrete that made up
0:57:16 > 0:57:20the three cooling towers has fallen neatly into the target area
0:57:20 > 0:57:24and the dust has quickly settled, leaving the crowds unscathed.
0:57:25 > 0:57:28RADIO: Ready to let the boys go home now.
0:57:30 > 0:57:33Come on, let's do another one.
0:57:33 > 0:57:37We've got to start planning for the next one, mate.
0:57:37 > 0:57:39It's been a long day, it's been a hard day.
0:57:39 > 0:57:42It's been a very successful day.
0:57:42 > 0:57:46I think now's the time that we go home,
0:57:46 > 0:57:50see our wives and kids and go to bed.
0:57:53 > 0:57:54Next time...
0:57:59 > 0:58:00Work starts on one of the most
0:58:00 > 0:58:03technically demanding demolitions ever...
0:58:03 > 0:58:07We've never done one as high, as close to the railway,
0:58:07 > 0:58:10this type of thing has never been done before.
0:58:10 > 0:58:14..the threat of history repeating itself looms large...
0:58:14 > 0:58:17A lot of the people that come to watch these blow downs come
0:58:17 > 0:58:19because they want to see things go wrong.
0:58:21 > 0:58:25..and the stage is set for one demo man to bring down the house.
0:58:25 > 0:58:26That's the end of the theatre,
0:58:26 > 0:58:29there's only one show in town now and that's mine.