 As early as the 1960s, the power stations' operating hours were decreased due to the opening of the much larger Blyth power station in Northumberland.This meant that less ash was produced by the Stella and Dunston stations; so by the end of the 1960s, the CEGB sold "Hexhamshire Lass" and "Bobby Shaftoe".The former went to a firm in Fareham, Hampshire, where it worked as a sand dredger until scrapped in 1993; the latter to a French dredging company.