Daughter bereaved by factory accident wins competition to demolish building

Sarah Griffiths, 41, pushed the button which triggered a series of explosions to demolish the Campbell’s Soup Tower in King’s Lynn yesterday morning.

The mother-of-two from Clenchwarton, near King’s Lynn, lost her father, Mick Locke, in 1995.

He died from severe scalding from a blast of steam while working in the former Campbell’s factory.

She said: “The tower is a constant reminder that I have been robbed of my dad.

“I’m a bit choked up about it because it’s a big thing for me to do and I feel very pleased to be given the chance of closure.”

She won the rare privilege in a competition in a local newspaper.

She added: “I feel honoured hat I have been chosen against so many other people – I hope they understand my need to do this.”

The tower had been a familiar part of the town’s skyline for 52 years. The series of controlled explosions brought it to the ground in a matter of seconds.

Hundreds of people lined roads around the site to watch the landmark fall.

It was demolished to make way for a new £40m complex – dubbed Campbell’s Meadow – including a hotel, leisure facilities, restaurants, a car showroom and a new Tesco Extra supermarket.

The development will also include industrial and office space and is expected to create about a thousand jobs.