A county man has paid an unusual tribute to the Cockenzie power station chimneys – by having them TATTOOED on his leg.

Rory Hamilton, 48, grew up in the area surrounding the iconic 150 metre high chimney stacks and decided to have their image incorporated into an inking on his leg.

Rory, from Port Seton, but who now lives in Copenhagen, Denmark, admits he was “sad” at the demolition of the “majestic” stacks on Saturday as they played a large part in his childhood.

The design director’s first ever tattoo features the harbour and coastline of the village he grew up in with the power station chimneys in the background.

Former Preston Lodge pupil Rory said: “I thought for a long time about what I wanted to get tattooed, and I eventually chose something that reminded me of my childhood and teenage home. 

“I knew that I wanted to represent the town, harbour, the sea, but of course also the power station. I wanted something beautiful that also reflected reality of life in modern Scotland.

“In my lifetime the power station and its chimneys have always been there - I never thought of it as ugly, to me it’s more majestic and it sits well on the coastline. As kids we ran around it and as teenagers we hung around it getting up to no good.

“I’m a little sad they won’t be there anymore and I’m sure next time I’m back home in Port Seton I’ll always be looking over my shoulder looking for them.

“But I’m more sad about what might be built there after it’s gone. If they closed off that coastal road, as in one proposal, that would be a real tragedy for the community. I hope they choose wisely how to fill the area.”

Thousands of people watched on as the Cockenzie power station chimney stacks were demolished on Saturday.

The stacks were constructed for the coal station opening in 1967, when it was the largest power station in Scotland.