Sellafield Windscale Pile chimney diffuser dismantled

The chimney and diffuser were visible for miles

One of the most identifiable structures of the Sellafield nuclear reprocessing plant has been dismantled.

The huge diffuser on top of the 125m (410ft) Windscale Pile chimney has been visible in west Cumbria for 70 years.

It had to be cut up in situ and brought down in sections, taking three years to take apart.

Project manager Geoff Carver said its removal had also removed the seismic risk of the chimney collapsing which was a "huge achievement".

"This is a clear demonstration of progress towards our purpose of delivering a clean and safe environment for future generations," he said.

With the chimney's diffuser removed the seismic risk to the structure is reduced

Sellafield said the work had been "hugely challenging" with much of it taking place during the pandemic.

Further work on the structure would be carried out after which the remaining chimney "barrel" would be demolished, it said.

The nuclear reprocessing site is being cleaned up by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) which said the diffuser's removal was an "important milestone".

NDA chief executive David Peattie said it was an "excellent example of the pioneering work taking place on our sites to deal with the legacy of the earliest days of the nuclear industry".

A total of 226 blocks have been removed from the top of the chimney stack, with each one weighing between two and nine tonnes.

Pieces of the diffuser had to be cut off in situ and removed one by one