Cross covered for Street wedding

The cross was hidden behind a candelabra for the scenes

Film crews ordered an altar cross to be covered at a church for a Coronation Street wedding, fearing it may offend soap viewers.

The Reverend James Milnes, of St Mary's Church in Nether Alderley, Cheshire, said the decision was "ludicrous".

The solid brass cross was hidden with a candelabra, ivy and flowers for the filming of Tyrone and Molly's wedding.

A spokesman for ITV1's Coronation Street apologised and said hiding the cross was "an error".

The wedding was screened earlier this week.

We just thought it was political correctness gone mad James Milnes

Production staff asked for the cross to be taken down, but it is fixed in place, and so it was covered up instead.

Mr Milnes, 29, said: "We thought it was a very strange request.

"This is a quintessentially English church - who would be offended by seeing a cross here?

"It's what people would expect to see, just as you see meat in a butcher's shop or fruit and vegetables in a greengrocer's."

"It was ludicrous. We just thought it was political correctness gone mad."

The church has appeared in several television series and period dramas.

'Accepted symbol'

Mr Milnes said he planned to use the filming fee from Granada to purchase a solid silver processional cross.

A spokesman for Coronation Street said: "We are looking into how and why this happened.

"As Rev Milnes rightly says, we chose the church because the characters of Molly and Tyrone wanted a traditional religious church wedding service in a quintessentially English church.

"Covering up the cross was an error and we apologise for any upset this has caused."

Stephen Regan, director of communications for the Diocese of Chester, said: "The cross is universally accepted as a symbol of Christianity and should offend no-one."