English heritage group says neglect, weather put historic sites at

LONDON -- Thousands of England's historic sites and monuments are endangered by threats ranging from neglectful landlords and wet weather to burrowing rabbits, the country's heritage guardian said.

English Heritage has surveyed about 70,000 buildings, monuments, parks, battlefields and shipwrecks and says one in 12 is in danger of neglect, decay or "inappropriate change."

It is urging local authorities to do more to protect sites in their areas.

The threatened monuments span many centuries of English history and include eroding Iron Age hill forts, crumbling Victorian railway stations and ruined abbeys.

English Heritage chief executive Simon Thurley said these and other monuments -- "the vandalized standing stones, the crumbling pillbox on the beach, the overgrown country park and the rusting colliery winding gear against the sky ... are places, buildings and landscapes that have the potential to shape the quality and even the course of our lives."

The organization said it hopes to compile a database of all threatened heritage sites in the country.

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