SOME of the region's most historic landmarks are being left to fall into disrepair because of a lack of funds for essential maintenance work, it was claimed today.

Hadrian's Wall and the mausoleum at Castle Howard, near Malton, North Yorkshire, are among those under threat, according to the Tories.

Shadow culture secretary Jeremy Hunt said that for the first time in almost a decade more sites were added to English Heritages "at risk" register last year than were removed.

While only 57 under threat buildings were repaired - half the number just five years ago - an additional 69 sites were added to the list.

Meanwhile English Heritage has cut back its grants for repairs from £8m in 1999 to £4.1m last year.

Mr Hunt said that the Government should now allocate National Lottery funding to tackle the backlog of repairs that was building up.

"With more and more of our wonderful heritage under threat, the Government must act before some of our best-loved sites are left to rot," he said.

"Returning the National Lottery to its original good causes would generate millions more for the sector and help restore some of these wonderful sites to their full glory."

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport however insisted that overall, the number of "at risk" sites was continuing to fall.

"It is impossible to infer a trend from one years figures alone - the slight increase this year is not typical, and in fact the trend is downward," a spokeswoman said.

"It is also important to note that the longer a site has been on the register, the more difficult it is to get off it, as all the easy ones have already been addressed."