WITH one loud bang that could be heard for miles around, hundreds of houses and a million more memories disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Three of the four multi-story Tarfside Oval flats that have been towering over the Cardonald skyline since the 1970’s, were turned to rubble as hundreds looked on.

Video: Jamie Simpson

The tower block flats which stood 22 storeys tall and once housed over 500 people were at one time considered an integral part of the local community.

However, residents said the flats had been in steady decline for the last 20 years and that the area has become a magnet for anti-social behaviour.

There was an air of expectation, from early on in the day as hundreds of Cardonald locals lined the streets to get one last look at the crumbling flats.

One family who had stayed in the block for 20 years were in agreement that the demolition was for the best.

Lynne Piper said: “They were really good flats at one time. When I first moved up there, there was no concierge or anything and everyone just cleaned their own landing and passed it on to the next person and it was kept nice. Then gradually there came more trouble, mostly with drug dealers and addicts.

“Taking them down is the best thing that could happen to them now.”

By mid-day there was a helicopter hovering above the flats as the crowds continued to build.

A horn indicating 10 minutes to demolition brought the expectant crowd to their feet.

Then with one loud bang the three notorious tower blocks were brought down in the blink of an eye as smoke and dust rose into its place.  A fourth multi-storey on the site at Tarfside Oval is being demolished using an ultra-high-reach machine due to the close proximity of nearby homes.

Amanda Brown and Lindsay Paterson had also came along with their kids to see a part of the area’s history being reduced to rubble.

Amanda who spent three months staying in the flats not long before they were consigned to history said; “I was only in there for three months and you used to get a lot of the kind of people you don’t want to be there, like drug addicts always approaching you and asking you for stuff and it could be quite intimidating.

“You just had to try and keep yourself to yourself. You were afraid to leave the house at times. There was always loads of trouble and the police were always there so I was very glad to get out when I did.”

Former tenant Anne-Marie Boyd lived on the eighth floor at 60 Tarfside Oval for 13 years and got quite emotional seeing them come down.

She said: “I loved staying there. I remember feeling so lucky when I got the flat. It was so big and I had great neighbours.

“I’ve been watching them pull down the first block and it’s quite emotional. It’s the end of an era.”

The flats came into the control of the GHA in 2003 who are planning to replace them with 50 new houses in a five million pound development of the area.

If given the go ahead work on the new houses could begin as early as 2016.