A COUNTDOWN should be projected on to cooling towers at Didcot power station before they are demolished, according to the town’s MP Ed Vaizey.
He spoke out as residents demanded that RWE npower switch the time of the demolition so that more people can see it.
RWE npower, which runs Didcot A power station, says demolition firm Coleman and Company will use floodlights to illuminate the three cooling towers that are coming down during the early hours of Sunday, July 27.
But it is refusing to budge on moving the time of the demolition so that more people can see the three 325ft towers come down.
Power station bosses have said the demolition will take place between 3am and 5am.
Residents have launched an online petition to move the time of the demolition to 6am, and this has been backed by Mr Vaizey.
Mum-of-two Christine Reardon, 44, of Meadow Way, Didcot, launched the petition, which now has more than 2,200 signatures.
She said: “Support for my petition is growing and I am planning to hand it in next week. At the very least npower should announce a precise time for the demolition.”
Town councillor Margaret Davies said: “There’s still time for the managers at npower to change their minds and give a more specific time.
“If they gave a specific time then I think thousands of people could turn out to watch, but otherwise the 3am to 5am timeframe could be a deterrent.”
Mr Vaizey said: “I have been contacted by many constituents who are determined to be part of this unique event, even if that does mean getting up at 3am. But I believe that it will be much better, and much safer, if they can do so in an organised way a little later, perhaps around 6am.
“I hope we can have viewing points set up where families can gather in an organised way, with a countdown projected on the towers so no-one misses it.”
RWE npower spokeswoman Kelly Brown said staff at Didcot power station would meet Mrs Reardon to accept the petition.
But she added that there has been no change to the proposed time of demolition.
She said: “Now that we have told people the timeframe they can plan the way they want to join in. There are plenty of viewing points around the town.”
- To sign the petition, go to change.org/petitions/rwe-npower-delay-the-demolition-of-didcot-power-station-until-6am
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