Many people recognise the ominous shape of Bradwell power station in the distance - conjuring up images of high-powered nucleur reaction - but in reality it is becoming a vast empty shell.

The station is currently being decommissioned at a cost of around £595million following shutdown in March 2002.

Decommissioning is expected to be completed next year 12 years earlier than was originally planned, when the station will begin the care and management phase from 2015 until 2087.

This will mean only a handful of security and maintenance staff will be allowed on the site during that time, leaving hundreds of employers and contractors to find work elsewhere.

Expecting to find heavy machinery and workers dressed in protective clothing during my tour on Wednesday, I was surprised to see that much of the reactor buildings had been emptied and the contents taken apart.

After donning a hard hat, safety glasses, high-visibility vest and a device to detect radiation, site director Mike Gull led me through reactor one and onto the roof.

See this week's Standard for the full feature of reporter Emma Robinson's tour of the power station.