VICARS in Preston and South Ribble may be taking off their dog collar and dressing down for Sunday services.

Traditionally, priests are required to wear formal robes when preaching, but in a bid to bring services up-to-date church officials will be considering allowing them to wear more casual clothes.

Area Dean of Preston and vicar of All Saints Church in Elizabeth Street, Canon Jim Rushton, said: "The feeling is that the robes that the clergy wear are not speaking to people in today's climate.

"We want to be as available to people as possible." He said that he feels priests need to be distinguishable, because they have chosen to follow a calling from God, but that the robes which date back 400 years to the reformation may not be the only option.

A spokesman from The Church of England said: "Vestments are usually worn by vicars for a number of reasons. They distinguish the priest from the congregation. Churches and cathedrals are places of worship and the idea is that they look good in the eyes of God. So vicars dress in their Sunday best."

He added that this is an opportunity for some priests to tidy up canon law.

Reverend Christopher Enwistle of St Andrew's C of E on Blackpool Road in Ashton said that the dog collar in particular serves a purpose and that some people may feel cheated if they believe vicars have not been wearing their uniform.

He said: "It's obligatory at the moment to wear vestments, but I can see the benefit of wearing more casual clothes in certain situations, such as a youth service."

The General Synod -- the church's governing body -- will meet between November 11 and 15 to consider the matter following a number of priests, mainly from Evangelical bodies requesting a looser approach to the cloth.