THE doors of a small north Lancashire village church have closed after almost a thousand years of worship.

A church has stood on the site of St Chad's of Claughton since around 1100, but in recent years the number of worshippers at Sunday services had dwindled to single figures.

And with a substantial amount of money needing to be spent on the fabric of the building, the Church of England decided the place of worship should be closed.

Iain Rennie, the vicar of Hornby with Claughton and Whittington with Arkholme and Gressingham, said: "I don't think anyone wanted to take the decision but sometimes these things have to be done."

A last service took place at St Chad's on October 13, which saw the church almost full with around 60 worshippers, many of whom had been baptised there.

"We held a service of thanksgiving and celebration but it was tinged with sadness that 1,000 years of worship had come to an end," said Mr Rennie.

He said that recently between two and four people had attended the church - they would probably now go to services at Hornby.

The church, which had electricity but no water, gas or sewerage, had not had any major work carried out since 1904, and had not had its own vicar since 1931, when it was united with Hornby.

It was thought St Chad's had the oldest bell in the country until around five years ago when an older one was discovered.

The building has been handed over to the diocese to try to find an alternative use for it.

Mr Rennie said that while the churchyard could still be used for burials, it was unlikely the building would be converted for housing - but possibly could become something like an art studio or take on a community use.