Ironbridge Power Station: Two thirds of readers want iconic cooling towers to be saved

More than 1,000 people have voted in our poll, with 68% saying the towers should be kept and 32% thinking they should be demolished.

It comes after it was revealed yesterday that the cooling towers are likely to be demolished as early as next summer.

The company behind the decommissioning of the power station, Uniper, said it plans to begin demolition work in the middle of 2017. It is expected that work to clear the huge site will take about three years to finish.

Calls have been made to keep the towers, which have a unique pink hue to them and have become a landmark in the historic gorge. But they are likely to be flattened as part of the site clearance.

Readers on shropshirestar.com were quick to comment on the situation.

'Watchdog' said: "Instead of beng turned into housing, the power station site should become Shropshire's first theme park, creating lots of new jobs and more bringing tourism to the county. The railway spur line should also be developed as an attraction in its own right."

R Suppards replied: "Suspend all work until after we have left the EU ... and then reopen it. The theme park is a brilliant idea."

On Facebook, Kain Prestwood said: "Might be an eyesore to some, but it really is a huge landmark and part of history now. Be a shame to knock them down to build cheap lego houses."

Louise Jenson added: "I bet people moaned when they were going to build them that they were an eyesore and now people are moaning that they'll be taken down. Any reason to moan basically. I don't mind either way... I love seeing them but likewise England is struggling for space so keeping them just to look at may be a waste of land resource."

Anthony Jackson wrote: "Personally I think there an eyesaw but I guess it's better than the hundreds of houses they'd put in there place if they did go."

Susan Compton disagreed: "I think they should stay. They are a great landmark. I have photos of my daughter right at the top of one with contractors which was in the Shropshire Star quite a few years back."

Melissa Kelly-Jones had a creative idea: "I think they are nice to look at. I wonder if both sides of the argument could be met by making nice apartments from them? Get Kevin McCloud in!"

But Martin James had a practical question: "So if they stay, who will maintain them and who will fund the maintenance?"

Rosemary Perry said the "beautiful Gorge can go back to how it was without those monstrosities spoiling the landscape."

Nigel Gill disagreed: "They are part of history just like the Ironbridge itself. Leave them alone."

John Hale added: "Should keep at least one!"

But Richard Jekiel said: "Knock them down. Blot on the landscape."