CHURCH leaders have blasted a leaflet being circulated around Accrington, which tells people they will "go to hell and suffer billions of years of sheer agony."

The flyer, which has been delivered to houses in the Stanley Street area, tells readers that if they die tomorrow they will go to hell for breaking the 10 Commandments and encourages them to escape their fate by going along to one of five Accrington churches.

Kay Aspinall, who had one of the leaflets pushed through her door, said: "It's deplorable, This is not encouraging people to go to church, it is frightening them to death. I was shocked when I read it."

Mrs Aspinall immediately contacted one of the churches named on the flyer, only to find that they did not know anything about it.

She added: "Churches spend a lot of time trying to encourage people to go to church and this is going to discourage them. There is not a bit of kindness in it. "

The leaflet reads: "It doesn't matter what you think or believe. It doesn't matter what your family, friends or colleagues think or believe.

"What does matter is what God says and what God will do to you if you are not careful. In God's eyes the 10 Commandments are still in operation and will continue to be in operation until Judgement Day.

"Your idea of being a 'good person' is not God's idea of good.

"On Judgement Day God will look at the 10 Commandments and look at you and see you failed and he will send you to hell forever."

The leaflet warns that those sent to hell will "moan and groan and ache and cry" and adds: "It will be a million times worse than your worst nightmare."

Representatives from all of the churches named in the leaflet have denied any involvement and have condemned its contents.

The Rev Kevin Logan of Christ Church, Accrington, said the leaflet looked like the work of an individual.

He added: "It is certainly not the way Christ Church would express the good news that God offers to us. Therefore we are quite upset that it should be going around in our name.

"Heaven and hell are real but to put it in these terms is quite extreme and uncalled for."

Father David Lyon of St Paul's Church, Accrington, was also keen to disassociate his church from the leaflet.

He said: "I don't agree with the comments made and I believe they are harmful."

Pastor David Boadle from Peel Street Baptist Church, which is wrongly referred to as Peel Street Methodist Church in the flyer, said: "It has no connection with our church at all.

"All I can imagine is it is some person who is misguided.

"Heaven and hell are reality as far as we are concerned but it is not the way we would want to present the Christian message."

The comments were echoed by the Rev Alan Lewin from New Jerusalem Church, who said: "We are horrified that this stuff is being put out and certainly want to disassociate ourselves from the statements expressed.

"What is being said is completely untrue."