The Church of England has stated that it is considering taking legal action against Sony Computer Entertainment concerning a level in PS3 FPS Resistance: Fall of Man that takes place inside Manchester Cathedral.

It claims that Sony did not obtain the necessary permission to depict the building in-game. The Bishop of Manchester, the Right Reverend Nigel McCulloch, stated: "It is well known that Manchester has a gun crime problem.

"For a global manufacturer to re-create one of our great cathedrals with photo-realistic quality and then encourage people to have guns battles in the building is beyond belief and highly irresponsible.

”We know the reality of gun crime and the devastating effects it can have on lives. It is not a trivial matter."

Sony, however, has stated that, as far as it is aware, all necessary permissions have indeed been sought.

A statement from SCEE read:"Sony Computer Entertainment Europe is aware of the concerns expressed by the Bishop of Manchester and the cathedral authorities and we naturally take the concerns very seriously.

“We believe we have sought and received all permissions necessary for the creation of the game.

"Resistance: Fall of Man is a fantasy science fiction game and is not based on reality." Sony added that it will be contacting the Church tomorrow.

The issue has garnered widespread attention in the mainstream press, with the BBC leading with the story through several of its outlets, including BBC Online and Radio 5 Live.