Mill chimney demolished in controlled explosion

A mill chimney has been destroyed in a controlled explosion to make way for new homes.

Opened in 1907, Hartford Mill manufactured cotton in Oldham, Greater Manchester until the 1950s.

It was then used as a Littlewoods store until 1991 but became "an anti-social behaviour hotspot, covered in graffiti and surrounded by fly-tipping", an Oldham Council spokesman said.

The authority's leader Arooj Shah said: "The removal of it will be an important milestone in this project and once it's gone, the site can be cleared so it can then be used for much-needed new housing in the future."

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