SOME of Scotland's finest buildings are falling into ruin because local authorities are not using their statutory powers to protect them, a watchdog warned yesterday.

The Scottish Civic Trust listed 91 country houses considered officially at risk, one-fifth of which are Grade A-listed and considered a vital part of the country's architectural heritage.

They include Mavisbank House in Dalkeith, near Edinburgh, one of the earliest neoclassical houses built in Scotland. It won a place in the final of the BBC2 series Restoration in 2003 but missed out on the GBP3.5m prize.

Other buildings by leading architects, including David Bryce, William Burn, Archibald Simpson, James Gillespie Graham, Robert and William Adam and William Leiper are also falling into disrepair because of difficulties getting restoration projects off the ground, the charity said. Nearly half of those were "ruinous" or in "very poor" condition and risked demolition if they decayed further.

Terry Levinthal, SCT's director, said ministers and councils seldom used statutory powers they already had available to issue compulsory purchase or repair orders.

"What we're asking is for them to take steps to prevent further decay and to take direct action to acquire properties where there is no prospective restoration scheme, " he said.

"Obviously, it is preferable if a voluntary solution can be found but, sadly, it is often the case there is someone getting in the way of something happening.

"The powers exist but there is no statutory duty to implement them. Local authorities, understandably, often just choose to deflect their resources to other places.

"There is a resource issue but we are not talking about huge amounts of money. What we have here is an opportunity; you can get good economic use out of these buildings."

The trust is now calling for local authorities to undertake an audit of at-risk buildings to identify which are suitable for compulsory purchase or repair orders.

Of the 91 country houses at risk, only 13 were for sale or under offer, with an equal number of owners against selling and a further 28 buildings identified where the legal status was unknown. Jane Nelson, SCT's buildings at risk officer, said councils often viewed country houses as financial burdens and were unaware of the potential economic benefits a successful restoration could bring.

She said: "We've found many council workers are not aware of the basic legislative tools at their disposal, so there is a lot of education that needs to take place."

The country homes were among 1036 listed or noteworthy properties placed on the statutory Buildings at Risk Service, which is compiled by SCT on behalf of Historic Scotland every year. The survey found 263 historic buildings had been demolished since the list was started in 1990, an average of one building every fortnight. A further 828 had been officially restored or saved.

Glasgow had the worst record, with 42 historic buildings considered at risk and a further 93 requiring investigation. However, SCT estimated up to 200 listed buildings may be at risk but not all have been reported.

They include three buildings by Alexander "Greek" Thomson as well as the Britannia Music Hall in the Trongate and the former Daily Record building in Renfield Lane.

A spokesman for Glasgow City Council defended its record on protecting historic buildings and added: "The council recently undertook a survey of listed buildings which has given us a clear agenda where we can work most effectively to protect Glasgow's cultural heritage."

Risk assessment More than 1000 buildings are registered as at risk in Scotland Every fortnight, a building at risk (BAR) is lost 47 buildings are at the highest critical level of risk More than half the overall total is at a high level of risk More than eight out of 10 BAR are listed Almost 50% are residential