AN HISTORIC church which houses a famous chapel dedicated to the Accrington Pals has been forced to close.

St John's Church on Addison Street, Accrington, has shut temporarily due to electrical problems after it failed to pass a compulsory inspection to meet safety standards.

It is thought the cost of repair work could reach a staggering £20,000.

The news was broken to the stunned 120-strong congregation by the vicar, the Rev Ian Robertson, who was conducting the Sunday service.

Under Church of England regulations, all churches must undergo reviews every five years to ensure buildings are safe.

During a recent evaluation investigators and the church's insurers recommended the closure of St John's, blaming problems with its electricity supply. As a result a certificate of worthiness could not be given.

Mr Robertson also told members of the congreation that the St George's Day parade, which was held last weekend, was to take place in St James' Church in the town centre instead of at St John's.

Prayers were said when the announcement was made and members are now considering the potential cost it will take to make the church safe.

Mr Robertson said members were "saddened" by the decision but one parishioner had offered her home for a midweek Holy Communion service.

This Sunday, the main service will be held at St Augustine's in Bolton Avenue, Huncoat.

Options for other services are currently being discussed by the church council but it is not known when the church can be used again.

Each year a service in memory of the Accrington Pals is held at St John's on the Sunday nearest 21 February to commemorate the day in 1915 when the Pals left their homes in Accrington to fight in World War One. Tragically many were never to return - hundreds were killed on the first day of the Battle of the Somme.

Throughout the Pals' history the town never had a single memorial until St John's Church dedicated a special chapel to the dead soldiers. A book of remembrance commemorating all those who fell is in the chapel with plaques and banners representing their regiments.