HATFIELD HOUSE has been declared visitor attraction of the year by the East of England Tourist Board.

It won this year's Excellence in England award for environmental awareness and improved visitor facilities, open to all attractions with over 100,000 visitors a year, and will go forward to national finals next April.

Curator Mr Michael Pickard said: "Hatfield House is proud to receive such high approbation in what has been a difficult year for all tourist attractions.

"As a precaution against foot and mouth disease, we did not open until the end of May, but that gave us time to implement some of the improvements."

The award recognised these enhancements, which include a special disabled lavatory, new swings in the children's play area, and new interpretation panels for the young.

Environmentally friendly features of Hatfield House which caught the judges' attention were the organic management of the 42 acres of gardens, the care of the park's veteran trees, and the attention given to indigenous species and biodiversity.

Accessibility to public transport, with the railway station and bus stop directly opposite the entrance, was a further factor in the success of the popular tourist attraction, which includes the Jacobean mansion and the Elizabethan Old Palace.