Didcot Power Station collapse: Police prepare to send file to CPS

The Didcot Power Station boiler house was set for demolition when it collapsed

Police investigating the collapse of Didcot Power Station are due to send an initial file to prosecutors before the end of the year, the BBC understands.

Ken Cresswell, 57, John Shaw, 61, Michael Collings, 53, and Christopher Huxtable, 34, were killed when the boiler house came down on 23 February last year.

It took more than six months for the bodies to be recovered from the site.

Thames Valley Police and the Health and Safety Executive are investigating.

The BBC has learned that an initial file is likely to be sent to Crown Prosecution Service lawyers this year for them to review.

It is understood the investigation has been delayed by the amount of material police have been examining, including more than 1,000 witness statements.

Clockwise from top left: John Shaw, Christopher Huxtable, Michael Collings and Ken Cresswell

Wreckage from part of the building brought down in a controlled explosion in July still remains, and the three cooling towers and a chimney also need to be demolished.

The coal-fired facility was closed in March 2013 after 43 years of operations, and the company originally planned to have the site cleared by the end of this year.

Tributes were paid to Mr Cresswell and Mr Shaw, both from Rotherham, Mr Collings, from Teesside, and Mr Huxtable, from Swansea, on the anniversary of the collapse earlier this year.

Debris from a controlled explosion in July still remains

A Thames Valley Police spokesman said: "The investigation is ongoing and we will provide an update when we are able to do so."