Sheringham Parkrun, which is held at Sheringham Park, has announced that all runners and supporters of the free event will now have to pay £6.50 for parking at the site.

National Trust, which own the park, has claimed that the charges will go towards maintaining the site and "ensure fairness for all park users".

But the new fee has sparked controversy in the community, with one calling it "outrageous" on social media.

Another called for the National Trust to reconsider and said: "£6.50 for two hours even exceeds that charged by North Norfolk District Council in their coastal car parks and will likely make this no longer an option for those who can’t afford it."

Sheringham park has featured in the top 10 parkruns in the UK (Image: Mark Bullimore)

Members of the trust will be able to park for free and the parkrun team has called for runners to become a member to "save money in the longer term".

In a post, it notes that those under the age of 26 can pay £4.20 a month, while it is £8.40 a month for those over the age of 26.

This allows members unlimited annual access to most National Trust car parks, gardens, and houses without additional cost.

It follows similar costs at the Blicking Estate parkrun, where it is £5 to park.

One runner claimed that they had moved from Blickling parkrun to Sheringham due to the parking charges.

He said: "For me, one of the attractions of parkrun is that it’s a free event, so joining the NT means that it’s isn’t free."

Blickling Hall Parkrun has been popular for several years. (Image: Newsquest)

A spokeswoman for National Trust said: "Proceeds from the new charges will go directly towards maintaining this special place and ensure fairness for all park users.

"Having consulted with the run organisers we feel that this new measure is broadly supported by the majority of runners and visitors and will bring Sheringham Park into line with other National Trust places that host a parkrun."

The charges will come into effect from May 2 and only coins will be accepted.

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