Nation's heritage 'left to decay' after budget cuts (UK)

Thousands of heritage sites are in disrepair and decay after the Government cut the budget for maintaining them, it has emerged.

Among the 37,000 sites of national importance that have been identified as being at risk are Hadrian's Wall, Newstead Abbey in Nottinghamshire, the ancestral home of Lord Byron, and Queen Victoria's final resting place at Frogmore House, near Windsor Castle.

In the last year, just 57 threatened buildings were repaired and restored to a state where they could be removed from the official English Heritage at risk list, while 69 new sites were added to it.

Since 1998, English Heritage has seen its budget fall by nearly half, from £8 million to £4.1 million.