THE church at Middleton St George will be out of use for months after risk assessors caused its immediate closure in the interests of public safety.

Regular services are being held in the village primary school while tests are carried out and talks take place on how to make the unstable structure safe.

This week, two residents’ groups, the Friends of the Conservation Area in Middleton St George and the Neighbours of St Laurence’s Church, issued an open letter calling on the church to reapply to English Heritage for funding. Members are seeking a meeting with church officials to try to resolve the matter.

The Rev Paul Neville said it was too early to decide on the best way to deal with the problem.

The church was closed last week after risk assessors deemed it unsafe, and the results of tests will not be known for at least three months.

Subsidence over several years has twisted the building, and on two separate occasions large pieces of masonry have fallen from the roof.

The church applied to have two sycamore trees in the churchyard chopped down, but both village groups opposed the application, saying there was no evidence to support the claim that the trees were causing subsidence.

The building was closed the day after Darlington Borough Council suspended hearing the application to cut down the trees.

The two residents’ groups say the church should reapply to English Heritage for the funding, which they claim was worth £51,000.

Mr Neville disputes this figure.

He said funding was deferred because it was dependent on the church raising a much larger amount, which it could not have done within the time-frame demanded by English Heritage.

Mr Neville said the matter was not as easy as simply applying for more funding.

He said: “We’re working with English Heritage. It’s all out of my hands. It’s a very complicated situation. There are lots of different experts involved, such as the Victorian Churches Trust and the Historic Society, even the Lord Chancellor of the Church of England is involved.

“Until we get examination surveys on the building in every respect, we really are stumped as to what we can do. When we can know exactly what the situation is, then we will meet together as a church and all the people can make decisions.”

In the open letter to villagers, Graham Robb, chairman of the FCA, and David Dodds, of the Neighbours of St Laurence’s Church, state: “This is a critical time for the future of the church building and the valuable role it plays in the community.

“We believe that with constructive engagement and a focus on saving the church with English Heritage support, a solution can be found quickly.”

Mr Robb adds: “There’s a genuine desire at a high level for an agreement to resolve the problem and bring the church back into use at the earliest possible opportunity.”

While St Laurence’s is closed, weddings and funerals will be held in St Andrew’s Church, Sadberge.