A LAKE District tourist attraction has been named among England's top five paid-for attractions.

Windermere Lake Cruises made it into the top ten list, based on passenger numbers, for another year running. The latest Annual Visitor Attractions Survey collated by the national tourism body VisitEngland, reveals there were 1,557,423 passenger journeys on the company’s 16-strong fleet of ‘steamers’, modern launches and wooden launches during 2016.

The results place the company fifth on the national list, ranking ahead of iconic attractions such as St Paul’s Cathedral, Stonehenge and Westminster Abbey. It is also one of only three northern attractions in the top 10, alongside Chester Zoo and Flamingo Theme Park and Zoo in North Yorkshire.

The full top ten paid for visitor attractions in England in 2016, according to VisitEngland, are:

Tower of London

Chester Zoo

Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

Flamingo Land Theme Park and Zoo

Windermere Lake Cruises

St Paul’s Cathedral

Stonehenge

Royal Academy of Arts

ZSL London Zoo

Westminster Abbey

Nigel Wilkinson, managing director of Windermere Lake Cruises, said: “We’re proud to feature on this list of truly world-class attractions from across the country.

“We believe a cruise on Windermere is a quintessential Lake District experience and this is borne out by another strong set of annual passenger figures which place us in the top ten nationally.

“The recent award of World Heritage status for the Lake District is a huge opportunity to continue building this momentum and helping to drive forward our vital tourism economy.”"Of course, it is also a fantastic way of transporting passengers around the area in a sustainable way.

“Looking ahead, we need to keep broadening our appeal and attracting both new and repeat visitors."

He added: “The recent award of World Heritage status for the Lake District is a huge opportunity to continue building this momentum and helping to drive forward our vital tourism economy.”