Dramatic plumes of smoke and dust were seen as a former power station was demolished.

The explosion was the 11th carried out at Tilbury Power Station in Essex.

Onlookers from across the river at Gravesend's town pier watched as two boiler houses came down in the controlled explosion.

They were predominantly made of steel, and measured at 100 metres long, 30 metres wide and 60 metres high.

An exclusion zone was put in place before, during and immediately after the explosion to protect local residents.

The low-impact demolition, which took place at 9am, had no impact on local roads, and any noise was short-lived.

The other main structures, including boiler houses seven and eight, will be brought down through 2018 and into 2019.

The demolition of the site is expected to finish next year.

The most dramatic of the explosions to date was the fall of the plant's two 170 metre towers in September 2016.

For years, the chimneys formed an iconic part of Gravesend's skyline.

Similar explosions have taken place at Kingsnorth power station in Rochester, and Littlebrook power station in Dartford in recent months.