An iconic landmark of steelmaking in the North East of England has been demolished in an explosion.
The 365ft (111m) blast furnace at the former Redcar steelworks – that had dominated the Teesside skyline for decades – was levelled on Wednesday morning.
Crowds gathered to watch the 1970s-built structure crumble, against the backdrop of the North Sea.
The explosion could be heard as far as Hartlepool, around 23 miles away.
The structure, the same height as St Paul’s Cathedral and the second highest blast furnace in Europe, opened in 1979.
It closed seven years ago with the loss of thousands of jobs.
It was flattened as part of an ongoing programme to clear the steelworks site.
Teesside’s mayor Ben Houchen described it as “one of the biggest, most complex and condensed demolition projects ever to take place in the UK”.
Clearance of the site is a vital part of regeneration plans, he said.
The casting houses, dust catcher and charge conveyors were also brought down.
Four giant gas stoves which heated the furnace will be demolished next month.
The furnace first shut down in 2010, but restarted two years later when SSI UK took over.
It closed for a final time in 2015 when SSI entered liquidation.