'They said it was where Mick worked – I tried to call him but I got no answer' - Friend's shock as Didcot Power Station victim revealed as 'Whitby' Mick Collings

Tributes are pouring in online to 'Whitby' Mick Collings, a biker affiliated with the Teesriders Motorcycle Club.

Mr Collings is understood to have died following the collapse of a building at Didcot A Power Station, in South Oxfordshire.

It is thought he is from the Brotton area of East Cleveland.

The North-East biker scene is currently in mourning for one of its most well-loved members.

Mr Collings is well-known for his charity work with the Teesriders MCC and for being a man who "would give you the shirt from his back".

Speaking with the permission of Mr Collings’ family, the club's chairman Joe Johnson said the scene was reeling and “absolutely gutted” at the news of his death.

Mr Johnson described trying to call his close friend after seeing news of the Didcot Power Station collapse on the television.

He said his friend worked as part of a demolition crew at the site, adding: “Somebody told me to put the news on and I saw the collapse but didn’t realise what it meant.

“They said it was where Mick worked – I tried to call him but I got no answer.

”I found out what happened last night and now I’m over the initial shock, I’m just absolutely gutted.”

Mr Johnson said his close friend of more than 20 years had played a vital part in the running of TMCC and the rallies they organise.

He said: “He was a dedicated and lovely man as well as a close friend.

“He was a top bloke, a really nice fella and I never saw him without a smile on his face.

“Mick was hard-working, conscientious and helped a lot with the club.

“There are a lot of things I’d never have been able to do without Mick.

“He’s known all over the country and people from everywhere have paid their respects.”

A large turnout of bikers is expected at Mr Collings’ funeral, the date of which has yet to be announced.

Mr Johnson said further tributes would be paid at rallies in the future.

He said:  “Whitby Mick will never, ever be forgotten.”

Another friend told The Northern Echo Mr Collings had given him a start as a young musician and had supported him for many years.

He said:  "Whitby Mick used to have a pub in East Cleveland and when I was 14, he gave me and my band our first gig there.

"He introduced us to the biker scene and was always supportive in giving us and a lot of other bands opportunities wherever he could.

"He was just a great guy, I can't put into words how nice he was - he was funny and would give you the shirt from his back if you needed it.

"He was a really good guy."

Three people remain missing following reports of an explosion at the site on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, it is "highly unlikely" those missing after the collapse are alive, emergency crews have said.

An aerial view of Didcot Power Station, Oxfordshire, where one person died and a major search operation was under way for three others after a building collapsed at the power station. 

Dave Etheridge, Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service Chief Fire Officer, said: "We have just spoken to the families who are obviously distraught.

"We have explained to them we have not picked up any signs of life but we are doing everything we can to locate their loved ones.

"It is highly unlikely they are alive."

He said the operation "may take several days, possibly several weeks", while Thames Valley Police Assistant Chief Constable Scott Chilton described those in hospital as "seriously injured, but not critical".

A 100m cordon has been placed around the scene as the rescue operation, which has involved specialist officers from around the country as well as sniffer dogs, continues.

Pictures from the scene showed a significant chunk of a building in the defunct Didcot A site has collapsed, with a large amount of debris on the ground.

A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) spokeswoman said two investigators were called to the scene on Tuesday evening and were continuing to work with police.

Mr Chilton said: "This is a tragic event and we are doing all we can to support those families.

"The priority at this time is the recovery of the persons missing."

Describing the rescue operation to find the missing trio, Mr Etheridge said: "We have tried their construction site radios and have had no response. We see this as significant.

"The rescue teams have been working and continue to work through the debris. The rescue teams are working under very difficult circumstances with a structure that is unsafe, with unsafe and unstable material from parts of the collapsed building.

"We are currently using sniffer dogs, listening devices, drones, and are looking at the possibility of possibly deploying remote control probes into the structure to access the dangerous parts of the site. This will enable us to cover areas that are too risky for rescue teams to be deployed to.

"Progress has been slow, but we are making progress working through the debris. This exercise is going to be prolonged and very difficult."

He said he had given a personal assurance to the families of the missing that rescue teams will do "everything they can" to recover the loved ones.

The building was due to be demolished when it collapsed, emergency services said, while the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) confirmed it was on site investigating.

David Cameron updated MPs on the "dreadful accident" and subsequent rescue operation - which involved a team of more than 100 people - at the start of Prime Minister's Questions.

He said: "I know the whole House will join me in sending our condolences to the family and friends of the victim and our best wishes to all those still missing or injured.

"I also want to pay tribute to the quick and incredibly brave actions of our emergency services who dealt with the incident with typical professionalism."

Didcot A opened in 1970 as a coal-fired power station and was later converted so it could also generate power from natural gas.

It ceased generation in March 2013 and hundreds gathered to watch when three of its enormous cooling towers were blown up in July 2014 after dominating the town's skyline for more than four decades.

The incident comes 16 months after a major fire struck a cooling tower at Didcot B in October 2014.

The blaze affected 50% of the station output - supplying a million homes.

Barry Wells, who lives in Didcot, said he worked at the power station from 1970 to 1972 as a steel fabricator.

He said: "It is a major disaster, this shouldn't have happened."

The 61-year-old described the partially collapsed building, which is also known as the turbine holder, as "huge" and "cavernous" inside.

He said: "There were levels but the main building was the turbine holder that housed four massive great generators, turbines, that ran the power station and produced electricity.

"And there were huge great, giant cranes inside too - it is an immense place."

He said the roof of the building is made of small glass window panes to add light to the building.

"That will have made one hell of a mess when that came down with it," he added.