Ex-Chief Minister Tony Brown has said that funding for heritage sites is needed urgently, with iconic attractions either ‘shabby’ or having ‘fallen into disrepair’.

He said that the government ‘continues to substantially underfund MNH’ by cutting its budget by £500,000 over the past six years, despite the government’s ambition to increase visitor numbers to 500,000 a year.

Mr Brown suggested that due to lack of government funding heritage sites were currently in their worst condition for ‘many, many decades’, with many unable to be properly staffed.

Mr Brown stated: ‘Why is no one in authority doing anything about this shameful state of affairs?

‘Government and members of the House of Keys should be ashamed of themselves, there is a lack of pride in our unique heritage and our island, and no understanding of its importance, not only to us, but also to the tourist industry.

‘This lack of vision and commitment by government and Tynwald members is destroying our heritage and our cultural identity. It is past time they took action and invested properly in the island’s heritage and tourist industries, as other countries have.

The former Chief Minister went on to say that if the government invested £1 million, then sites like the Laxey Wheel would be able to be open for summer.

Mr Brown noted that as chairman of the government properties trustees in the early 80s, with only £1 million in the department’s reserve he was still able to convince government to invest [more] in the island’s heritage.

‘Once our heritage is gone we can’t replace it,’ he added.