TONE Mills and Tonedale Mills in Wellington have been included on English Heritage’s annual “at risk” register.

The register identifies which of the country’s most important listed buildings and other historic sites are threatened by development pressures, neglect or decay.

Andrew Vines, Regional Director for English Heritage in the South-West, said: “A number of important buildings that have been at risk for several years, have suffered as a direct consequence of the economic downturn in the South-West.

“These include the repair scheme at Tonedale Mills in Somerset which ceased when developers abandoned the site and its future is now very uncertain.”

Tone Mills closed in the late 1990s after nearly two hundred years of operation as a multi-functional textile mill.

The range of buildings and machinery, which produced a variety of woollen products were left virtually complete and in a reasonable state of preservation. The complex includes the C18th mill owner's house, water wheel, engine houses, chimneys and imposing four and five storey warehouses.

It also extended to a separate site, Tonedale Mills, with dyeworks, finishing works and ponds and watercourses associated with the cloth finishing processes.

It is recognised by English Heritage as one of the best-preserved historic textile sites in the country.

The report says: “Following closure, the complex was largely left vacant as it became the subject of a series of protracted planning applications and its buildings progressively became more derelict.

“Several different government agencies with very different agendas are discussing possible solutions to a site that has many planning constraints.

“The outcome is still very uncertain.”