DURHAM last night issued figures to prove how they have tried to get their costs under control and made a plea for more support.

The figures show that their debts of £7.5m are only half the average for the other Test match grounds outside London. But while the average figure is stable, Durham's debt has doubled since 2012.

It has spiralled despite cutting players' salary costs from £2m a year to £.1.3m, with the division one average being £1.7m.

Back office staff costs are also low, but not at the expense of customer experience, which is consistently rated among the top four for international venues.

The average staff costs for Test venues are £850,000, but Durham have reduced their's from £600,000 in the Ashes year of 2013 to £450,000.

Apart from meeting the interest costs on loans totalling £6.5m, Durham's financial problems have arisen from having an average income of £300,000 a year from international cricket, compared with £1m for the other Test venues outside London.

The club statement says: “Contrary to some reports we have not gone through an administration or turned down new investment. We are undergoing a restructuring to encourage community engagement.

“Despite the obvious disappointment of last week, the players and all at the club remain committed to making a significant contribution to English cricket and placing Durham CCC at the heart of the community.

“We need to generate more income from cricket and we hope the people of the North East will come out and support us in force in 2017.

“Our membership packages offer some of the best value in the country and our supporters are passionately loyal. But we must do more to attract new people.”