A ceremony was held today to mark the closure of one of Britain's oldest nuclear power stations.
Bradwell Power Station in Essex will stop generating electricity this weekend after 40 years in operation.
The first stage of decommissioning the plant will involve defuelling both reactors, removing 99.9 per cent of the radioactivity over a two to three year period.
The fuel will be taken to Sellafield for reprocessing.
Operator British Nuclear Fuels (BNFL) said in 1999 the station was not financially viable as millions of pounds would be needed to keep it open for a further 10 years.
The official closure ceremony was carried out by the Lord Lieutenant of Essex, Lord Braybrooke.
Station manager Mr Peter Wright said: "The absolute priority for this station - and all of our stations - has been, and will continue to be, safety first and foremost.
Campaigners from Friends of the Earth (FoE) held a demonstration outside the station at the same time as the ceremony.
FoE welcomed the closure and supporters said they want to see investment in renewable energy such as wind power, and not a new nuclear power station on the site.
PA