A proposal that British museums be allowed to sell off items in their collections that are rarely displayed to the public is creating controversy in the U.K.

The Museums Association, representing 1,500 British museums, has proposed that museums routinely get rid of items that no longer seem in line with their collecting policies.

"Wonderful collections can become a burden unless they are cleared of unused objects," said Mark Taylor, director of the Museums Association.

That is a reversal of a long-standing policy by the association that museums should never sell off objects.

The change comes just as the Watts Gallery, a Surrey museum that focuses on works by artists George Frederick Watts and Mary Watts, is considering selling two paintings to raise money.

The Triumph of Love by Sir Edward Burne-Jones and Jasmine by Albert Moore, estimated to be worth £1.4 million ($2.75 million Cdn), will be auctioned by Christie's.

The money raised will be used to repair a leaky roof at the museum.

Former Museums and Galleries Commissioner Hugh Leggatt disagrees with the Museum Association's change of policy, saying donors will be upset if they believe works they have bequeathed to a gallery could be sold off.

But Roy Strong, former director of the Victoria and Albert Museum, says museums "can't keep piling up the stuff forever."

Some museums have such large collections that the public rarely gets to see it.

Vanessa Trevelyan, of the Museum Association's ethics committee, said selling artifacts and works of art is not the best choice.

It makes sense for museums to offer works to other institutions first, before they considering selling them, she said.

"But it is preferable to transfer items to an alternative home where they will be treasured, rather than retain material that is not supporting a museum's research, display or interpretation functions," she told the BBC.