Parts of Britain risk becoming cultural deserts after 50 museums were forced to close because of spending cuts, the Museums Association said on Monday.

The 125-year-old London-based organisation, the world's oldest professional body for museums, is bracing itself for more closures as local councils grapple with spending cuts.

Five museums in the northern English county of Lancashire are the latest to shut their doors to the public, including the world's only surviving steam-driven cotton weaving shed.