Museums urged to share out artefacts

London's museums are being told to stop hoarding their hidden collections and pack them off to the provinces so the rest of the country can see them.

Arts minister Estelle Morris says too many works of art and historical artefacts are kept away from public view. She wants the capital's museums to let smaller galleries around the country exhibit such items.

Ms Morris called for the "cultural centre of gravity" to move away from London. Her comments come as a consultation paper on the future of museums in England, Understanding the Future: Museums and 21st Century Life, is published.

There has been a move in recent years to open new museums housing national collections away from London. The results have been mixed.

While the National Centre for Popular Music in Sheffield closed after less than 18 months in 2000, swallowing up ?11million of Lottery money, the Lowry Centre in Salford has proved a hit with British and foreign visitors.