ENGLISH Heritage is helping families in Abbeydale in their bid to save their post-war prefabricated homes from the bulldozer.

Residents of the Dolphin Road bungalows want them listed after investigations revealed they are the only ones left of their type in the country.

Redditch Council recently unveiled plans to demolish the 30 homes to make way for a new development.

But residents were outraged at the threat to their much-loved homes and formed an action group.

Prefab expert Dr Greg Stevenson, of the archeaology department at the University of Wales College of Lampeter said: "There are 11 different types of prefab and the ones in Dolphin Road are the last examples of the Hawksley type left in the country.''

The homes were manufactured in Gloucester, quite probably using recycled materials from surplus war planes.

Dr Stevenson said: "There was a huge need for housing after the war. Just under 160,000 prefabs were built to go some way to solving the problem.

"I am writing a book on the subject because there is no record of prefabs but they are part of British history.

"The prefabs in Redditch are part of the town's history and people should write to English Heritage in support of them being listed."

He added: "Prefab houses are usually demolished because they are on desirable pieces of land for modern developments.

"You could fit three or four new houses in place of two prefabs."

A spokesman for English Heritage said that once a formal application for listing was received from the action group, the homes would be assessed for their historic and architectural merit and graded accordingly.

"Listing is not meant to fossilise a building but ensures the architectural and historical interest of the building is carefully considered before alterations are agreed," said the spokesman.

All the options are now being discussed between the council and residents and a further structural survey will be carried out on half of the homes before any decision.