They have been a famous part of the Glasgow skyline for more than 40 years.

Yesterday the end finally came for another of the Red Road blocks of flats in the north-east of the city as it was reduced to 10,000 tonnes of rubble by explosives.

Crowds gathered to watch as 30-storey Birnie Court became the second of eight high-rise blocks between Balornock and Barmulloch to be demolished.

Sisters Frances Smith, 49 and Ellen Smith, 55, grew up in the flats at 21 Birnie Court and wept as they were flattened. "It's really sad, just that many memories," said Frances, who now lives in Bishopbriggs.

The sisters originally lived in Red Road Court, but moved in 1977 when the building caught fire.

Steel frames that supported the first 10 storeys were not affected by the explosives and will be taken down manually.

Concrete will be crushed and recycled to create new road foundations, and the steel frames will also be recycled to completely clear the site of debris.

The demolition forms part of Glasgow Housing Association (GHA) plans to modernise housing across the city. GHA executive Alex McGuire said: "The demolition of the second block of flats at Red Road is another step in the ongoing regeneration of Glasgow.

"We're working with our partners to create new homes and communities across the city that people will want to live in for years to come. I'd like to thank all of the residents and businesses for their co-operation."

Residents from 450 homes in the area surrounding Birnie Court had to be evacuated and were temporarily moved to a specially designated zone at All Saints Secondary School.

William Sinclair, director of Safedem, which carried out the controlled blasts, said: "It requires a real team effort and everyone has pulled together to make this another safe and successful blowdown.

"We'd particularly like to thank nearby residents for their patience and understanding while the demolition was carried out."

It took a year to ready the blocks for the blasts. The flats inside were completely removed of fixtures and fittings for safety reasons.

Work on the Red Road flats, designed by architect Sam Bunton, began in the 1960s and the last block was completed in 1971. They were seen as a solution to Glasgow's housing crisis, with up to 5000 people housed across the 1350 homes.