An exclusion zone has come into force as demolition experts prepare to blow up three high-rise tower blocks in Glasgow

The 26-storey towers at Wyndford Road, in the north of the city, will be brought down using controlled explosions to make way for nearly 400 new homes.

An evacuation centre for residents living close to the towers has been set up, offering breakfast, lunch and shopping vouchers to compensate for the disruption.

A fourth high-rise block will also be taken down as part of the redevelopment using a piece-by-piece demolition technique.

The Wyndford estate was built in the 1960s in the Maryhill area of the city, on the site of the old Glasgow City barracks.

It included four 26-storey blocks and several smaller high-rise buildings, at one point providing homes for around 6,000 people.

Some residents had campaigned against the demolition plan, arguing instead for a retrofit option.

But owners Wheatley Homes housing association claimed the flats were not fit for purpose and could not feasibly be altered to meet modern floor space standards.

The 600 flats in the high-rise blocks will be replaced by 386 affordable homes.

The masterplan for the redevelopment includes a community hub with a hall, café, meeting rooms and computer access.

Nearby residents were asked to leave their homes on Sunday morning and were offered breakfast and lunch at a nearby secondary school which is being used as an evacuation centre.

People who live within the exclusion zone will also receive Tesco gift vouchers, worth £100, which will be issued at the evacuation centre.

St Gregory’s Catholic Church, located nearby on Kelvindale Road, has had its stained glass windows covered with protective sheeting.

The church is closed and the 10:00 service will take place instead at St Charles’s at Kelvinside Gardens.

Misting systems will be used to minimise dust after the demolition but residents are advised to shut windows, keep pets indoors and cover fish ponds and rabbit hutches.

People with respiratory conditions are advised to avoid the area.

After the blasts, clean-up teams will carry out street sweeping and jet washing.