Wrexham's high-rise police station demolished - BBC News
A former high-rise police station is flattened in a controlled blast to make way for a supermarket.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. A controlled explosion was used to flatten the former high-rise police station

A former high-rise police station has been demolished in a controlled explosion, after crowds were told to stay away.

The 10-storey 1970s block in Wrexham closed in 2019 with officers moving to a new base.

A supermarket and drive-through coffee shop is due to be built on the site.

The demolition was streamed online as Wrexham council asked people to observe Wales' national lockdown, and avoid travel to cut Covid-19 cases.

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Gone: North Wales Police Drone Unit filmed the demolition with an aerial vantage

"There was a good couple of bangs and the ground did shudder," said one online spectator.

An attempt to have the station listed as historic failed, and people also signed a petition seeking a better use of the building.

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People were advised to avoid the area, with road closures in place until the demolition was completed.

Gavin Nicolas, from Total Demolition Services, said demolitions were usually popular with spectators but he had asked people to "stay away from this particular one in order to control the spread of Covid and ensure everyone remains safe".

The building had dominated Wrexham's skyline since the 1970s

The demolition was filmed for the Scrap Kings TV programme which will be shown next summer, the council said.

North Wales Police opened a new £1.9m police station in Wrexham Library and a £21.5m divisional base at Llay after leaving the tower block.

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