The Maxwelltown, Carnegie, Jamaica and Wellington flats on Alexander Street were reduced to rubble in seconds – Video of Hilltown demoliton.

Safedem used more than 1,400 detonators to bring down the four 21-storey blocks, which were once home to more than 600 families and dominated the city’s skyline since the 1960s.

Work on stripping out the four blocks began last summer as part of the £3.7m demolition contract.

William Sinclair, managing director, said the task, which took five-and-a-half seconds from beginning to end, had been nine months in the planning.

“We use minimal explosives, which take out structural elements of the building and allow gravity to take over and the building to drop to ground level,” he said.

The demoltion is a key part of Dundee City Council’s plans for the regeneration of the rundown Hilltown area of the city.