The number of visitors to museums and galleries has soared since entry charges were abolished a year ago, according to latest government figures.

The number of people going to attractions which used to charge rose from less than eight million in 2001 to more than 13 million in 2002 - a rise of 70% records show.

The most startling increases were at London's main museums, but museums in other major cities have also fared well.

No longer is income an obstacle to enjoying the riches of our cultural heritage Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell

Visitor numbers doubled at London's Victoria and Albert and the Science Museum - and are up by more than 80% at the Natural History Museum.

Outside the capital, the success has been repeated.

Museum attendances have on average increased by more than half - with admissions to Manchester's Museum for Science and Industry up by two thirds.

In Leeds 24% more people went through the doors of the Royal Armouries collections while in Portsmouth visitor numbers at Fort Nelson rose by 54%.

Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell welcomed the figures.

"No longer is income an obstacle to enjoying the riches of our cultural heritage," she said.

First time or regulars?

What the figures do not reveal, however, is whether the huge rise is down to people going to a museum or gallery for the first time or whether traditional visitors were just going more often.

It was also unclear from the report whether free admission was attracting people who would not normally consider going to museums or galleries.

Mark Jones, director of the V&A is convinced that scrapping fees has attracted a wider group of people.

"These are the highest figures in the V&A's history, with more than two million visitors, and show that free entry has been a resounding success.

"More people are visiting the V&A for the first time and more people are making return visits to enjoy our collections and exhibitions," he said.

Free entry to museums was a policy initiative promised by Labour when it came to power in 1997.

But it took several years to come to fruition with museums concerned about losing out financially, although they were keen to open their doors free to the public.

Chancellor Gordon Brown eased these concerns by introducing tax changes in the 2001 budget.

Many museums and galleries still charge entrance fees for their exhibitions.