Artist sculpts chocolate crucifix

Mr Heslop is "drawing attention to commercialism involving chocolate"

An artist is courting controversy by creating a life-size sculpture of Jesus on the cross made out of chocolate.

George Heslop's work is part of an Easter exhibition at the Ale and Porter gallery in Bradford-on-Avon, Wiltshire.

The artist, from Jarrow in Tyneside, said the chocolate crucifix was not meant to debase Christianity.

He said it intended to provoke thought about religion, but local Christians said the work provoked a "trivial" view of the symbolism of the cross.

Mr Heslop countered however, that his work relates to everyday lives and how the true meaning of Easter has become overlooked.

"I am actually using chocolate to draw attention to this time of year and the increased amount of commercialism that involves chocolate," he said.

"I'm taking advantage of it to draw attention to this special day in our history which is the murder of Christ and his resurrection. I won't be making any money out of it."

But Jeff Cook from the Bradford-on-Avon Christian Fellowship said: "To us as Christians, the cross is a very important part of our Christian belief.

"In fact it's central and whilst we don't judge what people do we perhaps feel that that maybe just a little bit too trivial a way of expressing the importance of the cross and Easter to Christians."