THE verger of a York church which could be closed down says his wife was verbally abused by an unknown couple who blamed her for the possible closure.

David Brown, 61, is the caretaker and verger of Holy Trinity Church, along with his wife, Maureen, 61.

Mr Brown contacted the Evening Press after his wife was subjected to the verbal assault on Tuesday afternoon.

He said she was in the church at about 3.40pm when she came across the couple. After a polite chat the couple became abusive swearing at Mrs Brown and blaming her for the possible closure of the church.

Mr Brown said: "The man got abusive saying it was my wife's fault that it was closing and she had to stand and take it."

He said the language the man used was disgusting and it left his wife "shocked and upset."

"We just work for the church and we are nothing to do with it closing," he said.

He believed the couple, who were middle aged and well dressed, were probably local, but his wife did not recognise them.

He said: "They were blaming anybody to do with the church and that works for the church - why blame those that work for the church?"

Mr Brown said the couple would have done better by attending services rather than shouting at the church workers as this was one of the reasons the proposals had been put forward.

Five churches across the city have been recommended for closure in the report which was published on Tuesday by the Archbishop of York's Commission on Pastoral Provision for the City and Deanery of York.

They include St Helen's in St Helen's Square, St Martin-cum-Gregory in Micklegate, All Saints in North Street, St Laurence's in Lawrence Street and St Chad's in Campleshon Road.

The Archbishop of York, Dr David Hope, has stressed that no decision has been made about the recommendations and no strategy should be agreed until next summer.

Updated: 12:34 Friday, September 06, 2002