Should Didcot’s six colossal cooling towers eventually be demolished, many conservationists will rejoice as Oxfordshire regains the picturesque skyline it lost more than 40 years ago.

But there are some who have come to love the power station’s 325ft-tall towers and the impressive presence they have.

Indeed, some have described the towers as ‘iconic’.

They have helped put Didcot on the map, and anyone returning to the area is given a familiar reminder of home as the towers emerge on the horizon.

It is, perhaps, this unexpected appreciation of the mighty structures that has spurred npower to apply for a certificate of immunity to make absolutely sure the towers can come down.

The land on which the towers sit is surely worth a lot and six unproductive towers, which would still need to be maintained, would be both a waste of space and money for the firm.

Yet, if the towers do fall, their presence will be missed.

The station has given the town employment and identity — and the towers have been an unmissable reminder of that. But their demolition would mark a new era for the station and the town.