Thousands of people have turned out to watch the twin chimney stacks of a former power station being demolished in a controlled explosion.

The 149-metre tall landmarks of Cockenzie Power Station in East Lothian were brought down at midday, with a second explosion destroying the turbine hall immediately afterwards.

Video by Stewart Attwood

A boiler house is the last remaining major structure from the power station and will be demolished later this year.

The twin chimney stacks were constructed for the coal station opening in 1967, then the largest power station in Scotland.

The facility generated more than 150 terawatt hours of electricity in its lifetime, enough to power the average annual electricity needs of over a million homes every year, but it closed two years ago.

Both chimneys were destroyed simultaneously today after the button to start demolition was pushed by East Lothian resident Donald McCulloch, the winner of a charity raffle.

Hugh Finlay, ScottishPower generation director, said: "The demolition team have been working towards this day for two years, and it was fantastic to see all of our detailed preparations and calculations culminate in such a dramatic event."

In total, it is estimated that more than 10,000 people have been employed at Cockenzie, during construction and operation, with many thousands of other jobs supported in the wider supply chain and local area.

An exclusion zone was set up around the area as organisers expected the explosion to draw large crowds, some of whom took to boats in the Firth of Forth for their vantage point.

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Environmentalists said the demolition marked a positive step forward in fighting climate change.

Dr Richard Dixon, director of Friends of the Earth Scotland, said: "The demolition of the iconic Cockenzie chimneys will dramatically change the Lothians landscape and signals the imminent end for coal in Scotland.

"For those who've worked at the plant it may well be an emotional day but as a country it shows the positive steps we've taken in the fight against climate change and for clean energy."