EXPERTS have said the "quickest and safest way" to continue the recovery work at Didcot Power Station is to blast the remaining half of the boiler house.

Since February 23, demolition workers, Ken Cresswell, 57, and John Shaw, 61, both from Rotherham, and Chris Huxtable, 34, from Swansea, have been missing beneath 17,000 tonnes of twisted steel and concrete, when half of the boiler house on the decommissioned site collapsed.

While recovery work of the missing three remains on going seven days a week, the other half of the boiler house has been left precariously standing.

Kelly Nye, a spokesperson for RWE, the owners of the site, said: "We also understand that any potential work involving further explosive demolition on site causes distress for the families.

"However the recovery work can only be completed safely once the unstable standing structure has been brought down.

"Having explored other manual options, our experts have made it clear that the quickest and safest way to bring the building down is by controlled explosive demolition, using a methodology such that it ensures the remaining structure falls away from the current debris pile.

"We are deeply aware that the ongoing recovery to find the missing men must be extremely painful for all the families."

Mayor of Didcot, Councillor Des Healy, said the town could not afford to have another tragedy.

He said: "I have said from the very, very beginning, the tragedy which happened eight weeks ago is bad enough and heartbreaking.

"But RWE have got to try and make sure there are no further tragedies.

"Enough families have suffered already.

"What ever decision they come to will be as a result of in-depth discussions, we have just got to trust their judgment."

Mum-of-two, Nicola Hutchings, who lives in Great Western Park, was one of the first residents helping on scene after the disaster.

Not only did she bake for all the rescue workers during the initial days but she also raised £1,000 to be donated to the families.

The 33-year-old said: "On those first few days I was allowed down where they were serving everything for the fire crew.

"I spoke to some of them and they were really gutted there was nothing more they could do, and I think that's been forgotten about and it is not a case of people giving up but of what is going to be the safest way.

"These are our husbands, brothers and fathers who are going in there now to help and have been helping. We don't want another tragedy."

It was revealed last week that £500,000 in additional costs were spent on Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service throughout February and March this year.

Didcot Power Station has been partially attributed to the jump in costs, forming part of an unusually busy two months.

Oxfordshire County Council spokesman, Paul Smith, said: "There is no final figure for Didcot. The £500K figure is an early estimate of a busy period for Fire and Rescue during February and March, including Didcot."