An evangelical church in Essex is taking legal action after a local council issued what critics describe as an unprecedented order that could criminalise public Christian preaching.
Bread of Life Community Church, based in Clacton, has been served with a Community Protection Notice (CPN) by Colchester City Council following complaints about its street outreach in the city centre. The order prohibits the use of amplification and warns that breaching it could amount to a criminal offence.
The church, which has been preaching in Colchester for six years, denies any wrongdoing and has appealed the notice. A hearing is scheduled at Colchester Magistrates’ Court on May 1.
According to the council, the group’s use of megaphones and its religious messaging—including warnings about hell—caused “harassment, alarm and distress” to members of the public. Some residents told local media they found the preaching offensive, particularly when directed at passers-by, including young people.
However, the church argues the move represents a shift from regulating noise to policing religious content. Supported by the Christian Legal Centre, it claims the notice unlawfully targets protected speech under the Human Rights Act, including freedom of religion and expression.
Pastor Stephen Clayden said his congregation had “preached the Bible lawfully and peacefully” and would not be “intimidated into silence”. The church maintains that all its activities are recorded and that no evidence of harassment has been produced.
Legal experts backing the appeal warn the case could set a wider precedent. Community Protection Notices, introduced under 2014 legislation to tackle anti-social behaviour, are now being used, they argue, to restrict lawful religious expression in public spaces.
