A CATHEDRAL'S newly-introduced admission charges have brought an encouraging £5,000-a-week boost to its struggling finances, according to figures revealed yesterday.

York Minster officials say the compulsory £4.50 entrance fee introduced early last month has brought about "a heartening and welcome reversal of a worrying situation".

During the summer, the revenue from visitors to the Minster had fallen and the voluntary donation scheme was failing to bring in enough cash to recover the attraction's yearly deficit of £600,000.

But one month after set charges were "reluctantly" introduced, the Dean and Chapter says that the tides are turning.

Last month, about 53,000 people paid to visit the Minster. People are also making more of their visits, with the average time spent in the Minster up by 20 minutes and three times as many taking guided tours.

The Minster is one of a handful of cathedrals across the country that charges an entrance fee. Lincoln and Canterbury cathedrals charge £4, while St Paul's Cathedral and Westminster Abbey both charge £6.