Facebook has begun charging users in the UK to message celebrities and people outside of their social circle.

After a successful trial in America, the premium service began rolling out at the end of March.

Jeff Chiu/AP

According to The Sunday Times, Facebook users can continue to communicate with friends and people who share mutual friends without a fee. However, those who wish to send messages to celebrities and people they aren't friends with will have to pay up to £10.

Issuing a statement, the social networking giant says: "The system of paying to message non-friends in their inbox is designed to prevent spam while acknowledging that sometimes you might want to hear from people outside your immediate social circle.

"We are testing a number of price points in the UK and other countries to establish the optimal fee that signals importance."

The price to send a message will vary depending on the amount of followers a celebrity has. Sending Tom Daley (who has over 1.4 million 'likes') a message will cost £10.68, while sending a message to rapper Snoop Lion costs £10.08.

Sending a message to non-friends will cost an average of 71p, ensuring it will go directly to their inbox. Using the free option will redirect the message to a less visible folder with no automatic alert - a folder many don't know exists.

The fee can be paid online instantly with a debit or credit card. Under-18s have been prevented from utilising the premium service and are also unable to receive unsolicited messages from strangers.

All funds raised by the new 'priority messaging' system will be kept by Facebook.

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