HERITAGE chiefs have unveiled a multi-million pound blueprint aimed at persuading more people to visit one of the North-East's most famous tourist attractions - Hadrian's Wall.

The Roman Wall, labelled alongside the Pyramids as among the world's most important historic sites, is to have £7m ploughed into its central section to counter the devastating effects of last year's foot-and-mouth epidemic on tourism around the ancient ruins.

The bulk of the money, to be spent over six years, will centre around providing world- class visitor facilities promoting what the World Heritage Site has to offer.

English Heritage chief executive Dr Simon Thurley visited the reopened Chesters Roman Fort, in Northumberland, and other parts of the Wall to outline the vision for its future.

He said: ''It is not just a pile of stones, but representative of one of the greatest civilisations the world has known.

''It is a World Heritage Site, which puts it on a par with the Pyramids, and one thing we have to ensure we do is preserve it.

''Hadrian's Wall isn't just a wall. It's a complex of forts, temples, turrets, museums, exhibitions and reconstructions that bring the frontier to life."

Visitor figures to rural Roman forts dropped by 38 per cent during the farming crisis, and about 80 per cent of farms within the World Heritage Site and its surroundings had their livestock destroyed.

Hadrian's Wall was made a World Heritage Site in 1987. It is the most complex and best- preserved frontier of the Roman Empire, which stretches more than 70 miles across rugged countryside from Newcastle to the Solway Firth, in Cumbria.

Included in the sites to benefit from the plan is Chesters Fort, a preserved example of a cavalry fort, and Housesteads Fort, which is accepted as the most complete Roman fort in Britain.

There will also be a new youth hostel and visitor centre within the Northumberland National Park, at Once Brewed.

Repairs are also being carried out at Bewcastle, in Cumbria, which was partially damaged in the 17th Century after the Civil War, and where last recorded repairs were undertaken in the 15th Century by Richard, Duke of York, later Richard III.

Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell said: "Hadrian's Wall is one of the country's most famous landmarks, recognised around the world as the northern-most frontier of the Roman Empire.

"It is a tangible reminder of the significant impact which Roman occupation had on this country."