THE Royal Navy Cordite Factory at Holton Heath has been added to Historic England's Heritage At Risk Register for the second time.

Ten people were killed after the factory, which produced cordite for the guns of the Royal Navy, exploded in 1931.

The blast wave was so violent it reportedly knocked people off their feet up to two miles away.

Historic England says the register provides an annual snapshot of condition of the South West's most important buildings, sites, monuments and places.

Technically the factory site is already on the register, due to buried archaeology being at risk from scrub growth.

However, following an increase in the size of that archaeologically protected area, Historic England ruled that it should also be on the Heritage at Risk Register under its building and structure category.

This lead to it being included as a new entry for this year, one of 82 places added because of concerns over site conditions. It is judged to be a risk from vandalism, with its condition labelled "generally unsatisfactory with major localised problems".

Heritage at risk principal for Historic England in the South West, John Ette, said: "The South West has over a quarter of the nationally-important sites in England. From prehistoric monuments and landscapes to industrial buildings and military heritage, there are many challenges when sites become at risk.

"Historic England continues to invest grant aid and to dedicate time and expertise working with owners, developers and communities to find solutions to rescue precious sites in the South West so people can continue to enjoy them and the stories they tell about our past."

Last year a memorial stone was unveiled during a poignant service at the site of the former factory at Holton Heath.

It commemorated all those who lost their lives at the factory during the production of cordite.

As well as the ten killed in 1931, the memorial also carries ten other names of workers killed in accidents during the factory's operational lifetime, 1915-1957.