One of Shropshire’s top visitor attractions, which has always prided itself on being free for visitors, has announced plans to charge for car parking.

From August 1, the Royal Air Force Museum Cosford, which attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors each year, will introduce parking fees of up to £3 for visitors.

The decision has been taken by the museum’s trustees in order to help produce money to look after the national collection.

Free admission to the museum will continue as normal, excluding airfield events.

Pay and display parking meters are being put up in the car parks and vehicles will have to display parking tickets from next month.

The fees will be £2 for up to three hours and £3 for three to eight hours parking.

Alex Medhurst, general manager said: “We feel that the small charge of £2 for a car is affordable for a family in today’s current economic climate.

“Free admission to the museum will continue and for cyclists and visitors arriving via public transport the free drinks voucher offer is still available at admissions.”

The income generated from the charges will go towards meeting the costs of maintaining the museum’s national collection of aircraft and memorabilia and of operating its sites.

The RAF Museum Cosford houses a collection of 70 aircraft in three wartime hangars and is home to the £12.5 million award-winning National Cold War Exhibition, which boasts all three of Britain’s post-war V bombers – the Victor, Valiant and Vulcan.

In 2007, the year the National Cold War Exhibition was opened by the Princess Royal, a total of 357,000 people flocked to museum, up by 100,000 on the previous 12 months.

The museum celebrated its 30th birthday in May with a flypast by a famous Spitfire fighter plane and the unveiling of a plaque.

But the site hit the headlines when thousands of people flocked to the Cosford Air Show last month.

People were stuck for several hours on roads leading to the site as a heatwave brought people out to enjoy the event and its attractions including the Red Arrows, Battle of Britain Memorial Flight and a flypast by a famous World War Two Spitfire.

Show organisers were forced to issue an apology after the show reached capacity and people had to be turned away, including some who had bought tickets in advance.

The museum is open daily from 10am to 6pm, with last admission at 5pm. For details on the museum, call (01902) 376200, or visit www.rafmu

seum.org