CHURCH leaders have dismissed new guidelines for safety in the wake of terrorist attacks, saying keeping their doors open is key to what Christianity is about.

National Churchwatch issued the guidelines - which include installing CCTV footage - to church leaders around the country in the wake of recent terrorist attacks.

But The Reverend Vanessa Conant, who works St Mary's Church in Church End, Walthamstow, says reaching out to the diverse community and working with other faiths is what will help keep people safe.

She said: “Being a Christian in other parts of the world is quite risky and that is not to say that as Christians here we shy away from that.

“I think the world is safest when we know our neighbours and love them and serve them.

“I think that is the key. We can all work together for the common good.”

The guidelines say that people working in churches should wear personal attack alarms, which can be activated in case of an emergency.

They also advise having only one entrance in use, which can then be secured if a potential attacker tries to gain entry.

Reverend at St John the Baptist Church High Road, Leytonstone, David Britton, however, said this advice is "impractical".

He said: “Just having one entrance would affect us considerably.

“It would mean us shutting the main entrance and using the side ramp.

“This would make the church look closed all the time.

“Being open is what we are all about.

“I think the advice about the CCTV is good though and this is definitely something we will consider and we will be briefing our welcome team about the new safety guidelines.”

The advice comes after Fr Jacques Hamel, a Catholic priest, was murdered as he said mass in Saint Etienne-du-Rouvray in Northern France in July.

Daesh claimed responsibility for the terrorist attack saying two ‘soldiers’ had carried out the murder.

The official guidelines say: “If someone produces a weapon during a service (and this will usually be a knife or blunt instrument) then you will need to get people out of the church.

“Do not let them just sit there and watch what is going on.”

The report claims the majority of disturbances to Christian worship service are caused by drunk or mentally ill people rather than terrorists.

Since 1996 eight members of the clergy have been murdered in the UK.

What do you think - are the guidelines there for a reason or do they go too far? E-mail laura.ocallaghan@london.newsquest.co.uk