VISITORS to Old Sarum could soon have to pay parking charges, say heritage chiefs.

The Iron Age hill fort on the outskirts of Salisbury is popular with tourists who can pay to access the inner bailey, which houses the ruined castle and has historical information about the site.

People who live within the Salisbury city boundary can access the inner bailey for free, if they bring proof of their address.

The larger outer ring can be accessed free of charge by everyone and is popular with walkers, especially those exercising their dogs.

But staff at Old Sarum say they have recently had to turn away paying guests as the car park was already full up with walkers.

Now English Heritage says it is looking to bring in a “modest parking charge”.

Matt Bulford, area manager for English Heritage, said: “Old Sarum is a beautiful and fascinating place which welcomes many thousands of people each year from the Salisbury area and around the world.

“As a charity, English Heritage is entirely responsible for the care of the scheduled ancient monument, which includes both the inner bailey, and the outer bailey, and the car park and toilets.

“We rely on income from visitors to the inner bailey to meet the costs of keeping the rest of the site in good care, free of litter, open to the public, and above all of protecting its historic fabric.

“Over the years, the car park has become busier and we have explored a number of options to ensure that we can continue to accommodate the visitors who help to support the site’s upkeep.

“One of the options we will be exploring over the coming months is the introduction of a modest parking charge, which would help to fund the upkeep of the site.”

It comes as Druid King Arthur Pendragon takes English Heritage to court over “pay to pray” parking charges at Stonehenge during Solstice celebrations.

English Heritage also wants to install a parking meter at Old Wardour Castle near Tisbury.