A minister of the Dudley Wood Methodist Church in the West Midlands has been told he needs to pay £75 (€110) to put a wooden cross up outside his church, which is being charged as an ‘advert.’

Minister Paul Nzacahayo approached Dudley council to share his plans on placing a cross outside the Dudley Wood Methodist Church, which is being converted from an old school building. But the minister was informed that under current legislation, a cross was an advert for the Christian faith and needed to be paid for.

Nzacahayo said: "I think this rule is utterly ridiculous and I am very upset that such regulations exist." Dr Nzacahayo added the only thing he and the congregation wanted to sell was 'the word of the Gospel'.”

"The cross is a symbol of our faith and to say it is an advert is getting the wrong end of the stick completely," he added.

Dudley Council spokesman Phil Parker denied that it was the council being heavy-handed. "All such crosses are defined as advertisements in the Town and Country Planning Act 1990.

"It is national legislation which is laid down in law and not a judgment made by Dudley Council," he said.