THE most visited cathedral in the country is considering whether to introduce an admission fee for the first time.

The Dean and Chapter of York Minster - already looking at the possibility of sponsorship from the US - have launched a feasibility study, which could result in tourists being charged to see inside the largest Gothic cathedral in northern Europe.

In the past the Minster has fought shy of such a move, even though other cathedrals - including St Paul's, Canterbury, Westminster and Lincoln - levy a charge.

But, in the face of rising costs and falling visitor numbers, it is considering following suit and becoming the only cathedral in the north to introduce a fee.

For the past three years the Minster has been operating at a budget deficit of about £500,000-a-year, and if that drain continues reserves could dry up within eight years.

Although it tops the league of most visited cathedrals in the country - with 1.75 million visitors in 2000 - the numbers are slipping, with voluntary donations averaging less than 50p per person.

Cost-cutting measures have included the loss of 15 jobs - mainly through natural wastage - but the terrorist atrocities of September 11 led to a further sharp drop in the number of tourists.