Grimsby Ice Factory on Europe's 'most at risk' list

Grimsby Ice Factory used to produce crushed ice to keep fish fresh on trawlers

A derelict ice factory on Grimsby docks is on a list of European buildings most at risk of being lost.

It joins six other structures on the "most endangered" list drawn up by heritage organisation Europa Nostra.

The organisation described the factory as being in a "state of serious decline" and said it will hold meetings to try and come up with a rescue plan.

It was built in 1900 to provide crushed ice for the town's trawlers and has been empty since it closed in 1990.

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The ice factory is listed alongside 17th Century churches in Albania, a monastery in Georgia and Vienna's historic centre.

The president of Europa Nostra, Placido Domingo, described the listed buildings as "rare treasures of Europe's cultural heritage".

"The local communities are deeply committed to preserving these important examples of our shared heritage but need broader European support," he said.

"I therefore call on local, regional, national and European stakeholders, both public and private, to join forces to secure a viable future for these sites."

A trust plans to convert the factory into an arts and business centre

A trust was established in 2010 to convert the Grade II-listed building into an arts and business centre, but it has failed to secure funding.

Henrietta Billings, director of SAVE Britain's Heritage which nominated the ice factory for the European listing, said: "The deterioration of the Ice Factory has been going on for too long.

"We hope this high level European expertise will help the owners and local groups find new uses for it and reveal its potential as a catalyst for regeneration of this part of the docks."

The ice factory is listed along side a Albanian church (left) and a Georgian monastery