Visitors to a popular Kent nature reserve will now have to pay £6 to park - months after the shop closed at the site.

RSPB Dungeness on Romney Marsh has announced the fees amid sweeping changes set to be introduced at its visitor centre.

Now, non-members will have to pay £6 to park at the site, while it remains free for RSPB members and blue badge holders.

Coach visits will also be charged at £15 per day.

However, the new cost also includes entry to the reserve, with previous fees of £5 per adult and £2.50 for a child now scrapped.

In a statement, a spokesman for the reserve said: “We are changing how visitors are charged for entry to the reserve.

“Previously, visitors who are not RSPB members were charged a fee per person when accessing the reserve through the visitor centre.

“This fee has now been removed and instead visitors are charged per vehicle parked in the reserve car park.

“These charging alterations will mean that families and groups who travel together will pay less than they did previously and will encourage greener transport options by charging only those who drive.

“It also means the RSPB will be more able to fund conservation work and improvements to visitor infrastructure across the reserve at Dungeness.”

The news comes months after bosses announced the “loss-making” shop at the reserve would close in January as the charity could no longer afford to operate it.

It has been confirmed the visitor centre at the site will reopen in the next few weeks, but an exact date is unknown.

However, it will only operate five days a week, whereas the car park, toilets and trails will remain open all week long.

This meant changes needed to be made in how charges were taken, but anyone hoping to pay with cash will be disappointed as the ticket machines are card only.

Previously, the popular nature reserve’s website crashed after guests scrambled for tickets to an annual event at Marsh’s iconic Sound Mirrors, relics of a pre-Second World War acoustic defense system.

The next open day is scheduled for Saturday, July 12.