A new image showing the 20,000 tonnes of debris still on site following the collapse of part of Didcot A power station has been released by Thames Valley Police to show the scale of the operation on which officers are working "from dawn to dusk".

Part of the former boiler house at the power station collapsed suddenly on February 23, resulting in the confirmed death of one man.

An area the size of a football pitch has so far been cleared but three more men are still missing beneath the rubble.

A statement released by police this morning said: "The absolute priority of the multi-agency response to this incident remains the recovery of the missing men so they can be returned to their families.

"Alongside the recovery, Thames Valley Police and the Health and Safety Executive are undertaking a joint investigation into the cause of the incident under the Work Related Deaths Protocol."

Overall responsibility for the safety of people, buildings and structures on the site lies with owners RWE, which has started clearing a section of the debris pile that has been designated as safe and is furthest away from the remaining structure.

The statement added: "A large volume of material has been removed from the debris pile as part of the recovery phase.

"The images show around 20,000 tonnes of material on the ground. Clearance of the debris pile is progressing and up to 40 metres of the overall pile, which is around the length of a football pitch has been cleared so far.

"These debris removal works are ongoing seven days a week, from dawn to dusk. Whilst to date everything is progressing to plan, due to the complex nature of the collapse the recovery phase will still take some time."

Specialists from TVP, Fire and Rescue’s Urban Search and Rescue and the South Central Ambulance Service Hazardous Area Response Team remain on hand in order to allow the safe recovery of the missing men.

HSE and TVP are also interviewing witnesses and gathering intelligence and evidence.

About 250 pieces of debris, of differing sizes and weights, have been removed for evidence processing.

Specialists from a range of disciplines including forensic archaeologists, metallurgists and structural engineers are supporting this work.

Drones and other camera equipment is being used to capture information about the debris pile and the standing structure, which is still unsafe.

The statement concluded: "Our thoughts remain with the families affected by this tragic incident and specialist officers from TVP continue to support the families, providing them with regular updates on the progress of the recovery effort."

It was also revealed yesterday that £500,000 in additional costs was spent on Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service throughout February and March this year.

Didcot Power Station has been partially attributed to the jump in costs, forming part of an unusually busy two months.

A report seen by Oxfordshire County Council's Cabinet yesterday stated: "Underspends are offset by one-off costs, currently estimated at £0.5m, relating to the incident and subsequent search and recovery operation at Didcot A Power Station in February 2016.

"Work is on-going to agree these costs and if it is possible to recover some of the costs from third parties."

County council spokesman Paul Smith said: “There is no final figure for Didcot. The £500K figure is a very early estimate of a busy period for Fire and Rescue during Feb and March, including Didcot."