The demolition of the Britannia Zinc Smelter at Avonmouth  was carried out commencing  October 2003 and completed in 9 months. It involved the full demolition of all buildings on site to ground level and the removal of overhead conveyors/pipelines running from the site to Avonmouth Docks.

The site was contaminated with lead, zinc, cadmium, mercury and acid necessitating both careful demolition technique and extensive decontamination and disposal procedures.

The demolition was carried out by conventional techniques utilising excavators (including high reach) with bucket, grab, shear and breaker attachments. Buildings were demolished using hot cutting to pre-weaken and then wire pulling to collapse.

One of the last items to come down was the 100M concrete chimney which was collapsed by explosive means.  As this dominated the surrounding skyline it raised a great deal of interest and spectators were caterer for in a safe viewing area outside the plant. Traffic on the nearby motorway was also brought to a rolling stop to prevent accidents.