Edinburgh blows up sixties flats at Broomview

Edinburgh's Broomview House flats were demolished yesterday as part of the council's regeneration of the North Sighthill area, with plans to create 1,100 new council homes across the city.

The concrete block of 84 flats, built in 1966, has been empty since October 2007 after the remaining residents were rehomed to make way for the regeneration. Demolition contractor SafeDem had been preparing the building to be blown up since July by stripping out internal fittings and materials for recyling.

On Sunday a series of explosive charges reduced the 10 stories of concrete to a pile of rubble within seconds. Debris will be cleared from the site by January.

Before the explosion an exclusion zone was set up around the site to ensure public safety, including road closures, closures of some public buildings and evacuation of nearby residents. Transport to the evacuation centre and refreshments were provided to the evacuees by the demolition contractor.