Some of the district's neglected historic buildings were today placed on a register by English Heritage to help save them from further decay.

Five buildings, including Grade II* listed Manningham Mills, have been included in English Heritage's Buildings At Risk Register 2003.

The register lists 41 Grade I and Grade II buildings in West Yorkshire which are considered in danger of ruin if they are not worked on.

It is hoped grants and funding will be found through the register to improve the state of the landmarks.

Other buildings at risk in the district included on the register are: Grade II listed Waterloo Mill in Silsden; Grade I listed courtyard entrance and walling at Upper Headley Hall, Thornton; Seventeenth century Grade II listed Leventhorpe Hall, Lower Grange, Bradford; Grade II listed 18th century mill building at Low Mills, Keighley.

John Hinchliffe, English Heritage's acting regional director for Yorkshire, said: "This year 18 buildings in Yorkshire and the Humber have been taken off the register, which is excellent news. But another eight have taken their place.

"Overall we have done well across the region by removing 40 per cent of entries since 1999.

"But there remains a core of nationally important historic buildings in Yorkshire and the Humber that English Heritage simply has no resources to save. Our approach will remain focused on targeting the most urgent cases with grants and brokering solutions, working with bodies such as the Heritage Lottery Fund and local authorities to preserve these heritage assets."

Work is due to start this month on redeveloping Manningham Mills into luxury apartments. The first phase work will include making the building safe and ready for redevelopment.

The BBC today revealed plans to highlight the plight of 30 of the buildings on the register in a series called Restoration.

The public will then be able to vote in a Pop Idol-style ballot for their favourite one, which will be saved and restored although none of the Bradford district's buildings will feature in the programmes.