A NEW problem has hit Huddersfield Parish Church.

Chunks of the ornate plaster ceiling inside St Peter’s Church have been falling off, after the completion of a massive repair project to fix the roof.

It now means that the church will have to find another £¼m to fund vital repairs.

And it also means that the church will not be able to host the annual Remembrance Day service, which attracts hundreds of worshippers.

That service will now be switched to Huddersfield Town Hall.

The Vicar of Huddersfield, Canon Catherine Ogle, said: “It’s very sad but we cannot guarantee the safety of everyone who comes to the church.

“We have placed netting below the ceiling in sections of the church that we use all the time but when it comes to the Remembrance Sunday service, we expect to have between 500 and 600 people and we would have to use every section of the church.

“Obviously safety comes first so we have had to move the service to the Town Hall.”

The present church, which dates back to 1836 – when it was rebuilt at a cost of £10,000 – underwent major restoration work which was completed earlier this year.

Now church officials are preparing a new bid to English Heritage to help fund the necessary repair works to the ceilings.

Mrs Ogle said: “We hope the work can be done early next year.

“It is a huge, decorative ceiling and has been there ever since the church building was completed.

“It was starting to show its age and the work on the roof added to the problems.

“Workmen had to move around constantly on the roof and the vibrations led to flexing in the plasterwork, which meant chunks of it have started to come down.

“I have to stress that the bulk of the church is perfectly safe but because we cannot guarantee every nook and cranny, it was felt better not to host the service in November which attracts so many people.

“We hope we get the grant and once the work is done, we will have a beautiful church.”