A DISPUTE about the removal of a number of pews from a church has led to the matter being referred to a consistory court.

The scheme to take out the pews at Holy Trinity church in Startforth, near Barnard Castle, pleased some members of the congregation and upset others when it was brought up last autumn. The pews were installed in 1956 in memory of loved ones.

The plan was backed at the time by the parochial church council, which voted to go ahead with it as a millennium project. The idea was to create space for meetings, fellowship and a creche as well as improving an area around the font.

But on Saturday morning, parishioners attended the court, used to administer church law in the diocese of Ripon and Leeds.

The chancellor of the diocese, Judge Simon Grenfell, held a preliminary hearing at the church, but warned churchgoers that the dispute might cost them over £1,000 as an informal approach was unlikely to resolve the issue. He said that a hearing in open court, possibly involving lawyers, could be expensive.

He proposed trying to settle the dispute by way of written representations, but warned that too could be costly. Unless it could be established that objectors' complaints were unreasonable, it was likely the parish would foot the bill.

The parties concerned agreed to written representations, with the chancellor setting out a timetable.

Anyone wanting to contribute evidence or voice an opinion has until Friday, September 8, to write to the diocesan registrar's office in Ripon. The second deadline is a week later, by which time the petitioners - the Rev David Ryan and his supporters - must deposit their case in writing.

This gives named objectors time to examine the deposition and make any representations. All the documents will then be referred to the archdeacon, the Ven Ken Good, who attended Saturday's meeting.

The chancellor will then look at all the evidence before announcing his findings, probably towards the end of November.