TENS of thousands of people have signed a petition to save sheds used to build Spitfires during the Second World War from demolition.

As previously reported, the sheds on Wide Lane in Swaythling are subject to the approval of an ongoing planning application by Warehouse Developers Tungsten Properties for the former Ford factory site.

But the application has sparked outrage across the county, with more than 39,000 signing a Change.org petition in a bid to save them, which was launched by the Spitfire Makers Charitable Trust.

Its chair Alan Matlock said: “[The shed] is part of the heritage of this city, the country and indeed the world. The men and women who worked inside it during WWII deserve to be commemorated.”

In July, local leaders hailed the news of the development on the 6.6 acre site as it is predicted to bring 100 jobs to the area.

However, concern has now been raised over the historical importance of the flight sheds and their potential demolition.

Southampton City Council has confirmed a Building Preservation Notice had been made for the sheds on behalf of trustees of Solent Sky Museum.

If approved, a six-month order would be placed on the landowner to halt the demolition of a non-listed structure which has “special architectural or historical significance”.

A spokesperson for Historic England has confirmed that sheds were considered for listing in the late 1990s, but was not put forward as they “did not meet the criteria for listing.”