WATCH: 600ft chimney demolished at Rugeley Power Station

Experts carried out a controlled collapse of the chimney using explosives at around 8am on Sunday morning, with a large cordon placed around the area.

It extended to the nearby A51 and closed the road, forcing motorists to use diversion routes.

Police advised people to stay at home for the event and watch it online over a video link.

WATCH footage of the demolition here:

Footage courtesy of Kyle Griffiths/Eyes In The Skies Photography

Work is continuing to demolish the power station, which closed in 2016, ahead of plans to build 2,300 homes, commercial buildings and a school on site.

Other structures have already been knocked down.

However those that remain, including cooling towers, are scheduled for demolition later this year.

In January 2019, both Cannock Chase Council and Lichfield District Council approved outline plans to transform the site into 2,300 homes, housing for the elderly, commercial buildings and a primary school. Revised plans were approved in July.

Councillor Gordon Alcott, deputy leader of Cannock Chase Council, welcomed the latest stage of the demolition work.

He told the Express & Star: "The demolition of the chimney is part of a programme that has been initiated between developers and the two councils, us and Lichfield.

"With regards to clearing the site ready for occupation by homes and industry, I welcome this initiative today to demolish the big chimney stack.

"The next ones to be demolished will be the cooling towers and when they are are cleared, cleaning can start on the site.

"It has to be cleaned up, the contaminated soil left on the site, ready for houses and industry."

He added: "It is a big project, not one that will happen overnight.

"It will take three to four years to get to that stage before building on that site [can happen]. We want high-tech industry on the site. That is what we are hoping to get on the site, once it is developed."