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'Chimney stack was part of our village'

Ben Mellor
BBC News, Nottingham
Reporting fromCottam
BBC A view from a bedroom window looking out at Cottam Power Station, prior to the chimney's demolition.BBC
The view from Alf Jaworski's bedroom window will no longer contain the chimney on the right, with this photo being taken prior to demolition

It has towered over the landscape for decades and for many, it was a symbol they were nearly home.

But as the main chimney of Cottam Power Station was brought down in a controlled explosion on Thursday, residents living nearby itted they will miss the landmark.

"It's a part of us, and it's a part of the village," says Alf Jaworski, whose home in Cottam, Nottinghamshire, is on the outskirts of the plant.

He added: "We are the forgotten village as it is now. People think 'oh Cottam? Never heard of it', but say power station and they'll go 'oh yeah, that place'."

Alf Jaworski stood by his bedroom window, with Cottam Power Station's cooling tower visible through the window.
Mr Jaworski said his granddaughter called the main chimney a "pencil"

Mr Jaworski has lived in the village for seven years and said he grew to love the power station as a fixture in his life.

"You could see it in the distance [when driving home]," he said. "It just made you feel that you're nearly at the end of your journey."

The 72-year-old said he was never bothered by the plant before it closed in 2019, with the odd rumbling of lorries being the only noteworthy disruption.

He added: "When it's gone people said that you'll have a nice view, it'll all be open, but that's not the point is it":[]}