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Bristol eyesore demolition work under way

PA Former sorting officePA
The Royal Mail moved from the building in 1997

Demolition work is starting on a derelict building once described as making part of Bristol "look like a war zone".

Former prime minister David Cameron made the remark about the former Royal Mail sorting office, near Temple Meads.

The 1930s office and adjoining 1970s building has been empty for more than two decades.

A new £300m campus for the University of Bristol will be built on the site, and is due to open in 2021.

The land was once a cholera burial ground and later a cattle market but after Royal Mail vacated the building in 1997 it hosted illicit raves and was occupied by squatters.

PA Former sorting officePA
A new campus for the University of Bristol will be built on the site next to Temple Meads
PA Former sorting officePA
The building has stood empty for more than two decades
PA Former canteenPA
Amid the building's shell, signs remain of its former functions
PA Former sorting officePA
The former sorting office was described by David Cameron as making the entrance to Bristol "look like a war zone"
PA Former sorting officePA
A locked safe room still houses remnants of the Royal Mail's operation at the site
PA StampsPA
Some of the contents date back decades