WINDERMERE Lakes Cruises have been named as one of England's most visited tourist attractions.

The attraction has been ranked sixth in VisitEngland's most popular paid for visitor attractions.

The latest figures show there were 1,482,899 passenger journeys on the company’s 16-strong fleet of ‘steamers’, modern launches and wooden launches during 2015.

It’s a double celebration for parent company Winander Leisure, with Windermere Lake Cruises’ sister attraction - the Lakeland Motor Museum – also making an appearance in the North West top 20.

Managing director of Winander Leisure Ltd, Nigel Wilkinson, said: "We’re proud to see that Windermere Lake Cruises has maintained its position as one of the top ten most popular paid for visitor attractions in England, alongside some other truly world-class attractions.

"These latest figures underline the enduring appeal of the Lake District and show that a cruise on Windermere really is regarded as a quintessential experience for both domestic and international visitors. It’s also heartening that we achieved this level of passenger numbers in 2015 despite the challenges we faced locally at the end of last year."