Dundee church survives blocks demolition Published duration 30 June 2013

media caption A church located between the buildings, which were both 25 storeys high, was left undamaged after the controlled explosions

A Dundee church has survived with minor damage after two 25-storey tower blocks were demolished on either side of the building.

St Martin's Episcopal Church, in the Hilltown area of the city, closed its doors while the work took place.

An exclusion zone was set up in the area, with almost 20 streets closed on the day of the demolition.

About 600 homes and 60 commercial premises were evacuated before the work was carried out.

The direction of collapse was controlled by more than 10,000 detonators and delays.

Although one of the tower blocks was seen to fall to one side, police received no reports of any problems.

The £2.4m demolition contract was carried out by Dundee company Safedem Ltd, who specialise in the controlled use of explosives.

The tower blocks were built in 1971 but the 374 flats became increasingly difficult to let over the years and were declared surplus by Dundee City Council.