Worshippers behaving badly have come under fire from a North Yorkshire rector.

His comments in the church magazine at Ripley, between Ripon and Harrogate, have ruffled a few feathers - and won him support.

The Reverend Stephen Brown says supporters outnumber his critics by six to one.

In his article Mr Brown:

l Condemns dress codes in church;

l Criticises late arrivers;

l Lambasts people who eat in church;

l Urges parents to keep their children under control;

l And says he believes silence is golden during a service.

Mr Brown said some people had been upset by what he had written, but the majority who had spoken to him were in favour.

He said his comments were not meant to include family services, where he did not mind how much noise was created.

Some of his comments were aimed at visitors to the church who showed lack of respect by eating ice creams on a tour of the building.

On dress code, he wrote: "What we wear ought to be mindful of others' feelings, chiefly God.

"We get a lot of visitors who never remove their hats. I rarely point it out, but if they were children I might say something."

On arriving for a service, he says: "This is an appointment with God. Get there as early as you can, especially people with jobs to do. If you arrive after me, you're late."

On keeping children under control, Mr Brown writes: "Bring soft toys rather than loud ones, restrain excess movement, explain to them what is happening before you come and as the service goes along."