Swindon's flagship museum Steam is facing a financial crisis just four months after it opened.

The tourist attraction is not pulling in enough visitors and now taxpayers must foot a bill of more than £470,000 to keep it running.

The museum, which chronicles the town's link with the GWR, had expected to attract 194,000 visitors in its first year. But figures based on actual attendance up to the end of September suggest that visitors will number only 100,000.

Now a Swindon Borough Council subsidy of £97,000 agreed on when the museum opened in June is being supplemented by an extra £376,000.

The council's cabinet will meet in private tomorrow night (Wednesday) to discuss the museum's financial position. It is also expected to discuss the level of subsidy needed to keep the museum running next year. Other cost-cutting options could include raising entry prices, streamlining the services provided, or cutting down on staff.

Steam unofficially opened to the public on June 14, but was officially opened by Prince Charles on June 27. The £11 million museum, based in former railway factory workshops in Kemble Drive, was made possible by a grant of more than £8 million from National Lottery Heritage Fund.

The museum has received rave reviews from visitors, who are given a guided tour through Swindon's railway heritage, showing how workers built the great locomotives of the past.

Council spokeswoman Lynda Fleming said: "The predictions for how much money would be needed to subsidise Steam were made in 1996 based partly on the fact that the old museum had 15,000 visitors a year.

"Because of the delayed opening time we missed Easter, half term and the late spring break which means we lost quite a lot of potential visitors. Apart from this we have had extremely positive feedback about the museum, and it has gained a lot of recognition in the region."