St Paul’s Cathedral is facing its worst financial crisis in 300 years due to the decline in tourism during the pandemic and could close permanently if new regular funding is not found, its dean has said.

The cathedral’s income fell by 90 per cent last year while its doors were closed to visitors, as the City of London landmark relies almost entirely on tourism and ticket sales for its income.

The running costs, including maintenance and upkeep, of the 324-year-old cathedral come to £8 million per year. St Paul’s received £3.3 million from the government’s culture recovery fund, less than half of its costs, forcing the cathedral to spend most of its reserves.

The Very Rev David Ison, the dean of St Paul’s, said the cathedral’s bosses had engaged in “crisis management” over the past year but said some “big decisions” were now needed to keep the building open.

“If we can’t raise the resources to be able to employ the people to look after the building and pay for the heating and lighting, we would have to shut our doors,” he told the BBC.

Most renovation work, including a £15 million plan to replace sections of the cathedral’s lead roof that date back to the 17th century, have been put on hold.

Oliver Caroe, an architect tasked with monitoring the condition of the cathedral’s structure, has warned that the building is “rotting”.

“We have collections under these roofs, really precious objects, and there are buckets next to them, covered in plastic because the roof leaks,” he said. “I think everyone would be shocked if this building ran into trouble. It is in trouble now.”

About 25 per cent of the cathedral’s staff have been made redundant during a restructuring and some have been furloughed, but there are fears that cuts may have to go further and could affect the cathedral’s famous choir, which includes 12 professional singers alongside its 30 choirboys.