Investigating authorities have 'failed' bereaved families eight years on from the fatal Didcot Power Station collapse, an expert said.

The editor of Demolition News, Mark Anthony, has launched a petition, demanding a public inquiry to find out why the investigation has taken so long.

On February 23, 2016, four demolition workers were killed when a part of the boiler house at the Didcot A Power Station collapsed.

Ken Cresswell, 57, John Shaw, 61, Michael Collings, 53, and Christopher Huxtable, 34, died at the scene.

Three of the four bodies were trapped under mountains of rubble and were not recovered for almost seven months, prompting criticism from their families at the time.

Since the tragedy in 2016 Thames Valley Police and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) have been conducting a joint investigation into offences of corporate manslaughter, gross negligence manslaughter and health and safety offences.

But eight and a half years later, the investigation remains ongoing and unresolved.

Mr Anthony said: "Four men were killed in an instant. But a full eight years later, we still have no idea how or why as the investigating authorities continue to drag their heels and fail in their duty to bring closure to four bereaved families."

He said he started the petition following the publication of the Grenfell Tower inquiry last week.

"When that was published everyone said, 'at long last after seven years' but it’s eight or nine years since Didcot," he said.

"Thames Valley Police and the Health and Safety Executive have jointly failed the four men and their families and it is time they were held to account.

"We are calling for an urgent public inquiry to find out why this investigation has taken so long."

He called the updates the police issue every year on the anniversary of the disaster 'trite'.

"In much the same way as they did on the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh anniversary of the Didcot Disaster, Thames Valley Police marked the eighth anniversary of the UK worst demolition accident with yet another statement that uses a lot of words but that says nothing.

"It’ll come round next year and the official statement will be, we are continuing our investigation. Since the third anniversary the statement’s been almost verbatim."

He added: "There are power stations around the world being knocked down because fossil fuels are being made redundant. So the entire world demolition industry is looking to us asking why did Didcot fall down, what do we need to do to avoid that happening?

"The demolition industry has no clue how to avoid a similar disaster."

Mr Anthony said he appreciated that the police had many calls on their time.

"But if they’re not sufficiently staffed or proficient to carry out this investigation then take a step the hell back and let somebody do it who can do it in a relatively short space of time," he said.

Thames Valley Police have previously said they had examined almost 900 tonnes of evidence.

Deputy Chief Constable, Ben Snuggs, said: “Our thoughts as always are with the families of the men who died.

“Thames Valley Police with the Health and Safety Executive, continues to investigate the circumstances of the collapse at Didcot power station, looking at offences of corporate manslaughter, gross negligence manslaughter, and Health and Safety at Work Act offences.

“We recognise the length of time the investigation is taking, and the impact that is having on the families.

“Our dedicated investigation team continues to make continual and effective progress despite the investigation’s almost unprecedented scale and complexity.

“The investigation team continues to meet regularly with all of the families involved in this tragic incident, to provide them with ongoing updates.

“We remain completely committed to fully investigating the collapse, and again extend our deepest condolences to the families.”