ON THIS DAY: 2007: Doncaster Rovers' Belle Vue ground blown up in gas explosion - PICTURES

Exactly ten years ago today, Doncaster Rovers' former Belle Vue ground met its final fate in dramatic circumstances.
Belle Vue in ruins after the gas blast.Belle Vue in ruins after the gas blast.
Belle Vue in ruins after the gas blast.

For in the early hours of February 7, 2007, the Main Stand at the old stadium was blown sky high in a huge gas explosion which rocked Doncaster and woke residents from their beds.

Nearby locals described a sound like a bomb going off in the early hours of the morning, while the impact of the blast obliterated more than half of the stand and scattered much of the roof across the derelict ground's car park.

The huge gas explosion destroyed the Main Stand.The huge gas explosion destroyed the Main Stand.
The huge gas explosion destroyed the Main Stand.
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Rovers had played their last ever match at Belle Vue in December the previous year, moving to the Keepmoat Stadium on New Year's Day 2007.

Two people at the scene received hospital treatment for injuries sustained in the explosion - one of whom had to be transferred to a specialist burns unit in Nottingham - while one lane of Bawtry Road had to be closed for two hours because of scattered debris and the risk of further explosions.

Demolition of the stadium, home to Doncaster Rovers for 84 years before they moved to the Keepmoat, was speeded up as a result of the blast.

The alarm was raised at 3.17am when a police patrol officer on duty near the stadium in Bawtry Road witnessed the explosion and called for the fire brigade.

The blast tore holes in screens at the end of the Main Stand.The blast tore holes in screens at the end of the Main Stand.
The blast tore holes in screens at the end of the Main Stand.
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The remainder of the ground was quickly demolished following the incident, however, the concrete steps of the terraces and the pitch, although hugely overgrown, remained for many years before eventually being replaced by a housing estate.