Liverpool's National Conservation Centre and Piermaster's House could shut as visitor attractions at the end of October due to public sector cuts, according to the sites' operator.

National Museums Liverpool (NML), which receives 95 per cent of its funding from the government, has been told to prepare for cuts of up to 40 per cent and now launched a petition calling for the spending plans to be reconsidered. Ministers are due to reveal the findings of a spending review later this year, which will determine how much NML will have to cut. A number of "several" improvement schemes have already been axed.

NML director Dr David Fleming said: "People need to realise that the museums and galleries they love are under serious threat. Because of unfair government cuts, we are being forced to consider the unthinkable - the closure of some of Merseyside's best loved venues. "We have launched a petition at each of our eight museums and galleries and urge people to pledge their support. These are unprecedented times for the public sector and we are not prepared to lie down and accept it."

An initiative designed to provide disadvantaged young people with access to culture has been scrapped and plans for a new Titanic gallery at Merseyside Maritime Museum have been shelved Meanwhile, Aigburth's Sudley House - the former family home of ship owner George Holt - could be moved to a seasonal opening model as part of efforts to reduce spending.