REMINDERS of Newport's steelmaking past were set to go out with a bang today when three coke furnaces were due to be demolished.
Explosives experts were being called to the Corus site at Llanwern to destroy the buildings, which were last used just before the steelmaking plant closure in July 2001.
The furnaces were built in the 1950s and turned coal into coke that was used in the production of steel.
Corus spokesman Simon Jenkins said: "About 10,000 tons of reinforced concrete are coming down, so it should be an impressive bang.
"We are looking to clear 600 acres of the site for redevelopment as an urban village. The coke furnaces' being demolished is poignant, but there are still 1,500 people working on this site and we are breaking production targets."
The explosives were due to be fired at 2pm.
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