The Blenheim Estate has denied it is being greedy after introducing new charges for the use of its adventure playground.

Oxfordshire's top tourist attraction is demanding a 1 fee for youngsters and 1.50 for adults to enter the playground.

This includes access to the existing putting green, maze, miniature village and giant chess and drafts.

But it is on top of the admission charge of 2 for adults and 1 for children to enter the parkland at the main gate of the palace.

The new charge has not gone down well with tourists or locals. Mary Hughes, of Bladon said: "The entrance to the playground via the maze is too far away to let my three-year-old go in on her own. That means I also have to pay 1.50 to get in.

"My children don't always want to go round the maze, but they do want to play on the adventure playground."

Ann Murray, of Scarborough, who was visiting Oxfordshire, was faced with a 6 fee for herself and her husband and three children to enter the play area. She said: "I've never heard of anyone charging to use a playground before."

The estate attracts about half a million visitors to the palace and parkland each year. Administrator Nick Day defended the new charge: "Because the equipment costs tens of thousands of pounds to maintain to a safe standard we need to generate income.

"Every penny that the public pays for entering the estate is ploughed back in. It is not a question of our being greedy.

"We appreciate that it is a sensitive subject and that it is locals as well as visitors who are being asked to foot the bill, but safety is of paramount importance."

Other attractions, such as the Butterfly House and the miniature railway, are still free.