A PETROL bomb was thrown at the front door of a Pendle church as worshippers held a bible study inside.

Minister Dave Bullock saw the flames leap from the wooden doors of the Full Gospel Mission Church, Stanley Street, Brierfield, as he led the group.

People, some of them in their 80s, were ushered to safety through a side door whilst others tackled the flames with pans of water. No-one was hurt.

The attack last night was the latest in a series of incidents aimed at the church stretching back over the past 18 months.

Arsonists tried to set fire to the building several weeks ago by putting wood shavings through the letterbox and setting fire to them but damage was confined to a pile of mail behind the door.

Mr Bullock said typed messages saying: "Allah is the one true God, you must get out" have been left on the windscreens of worshippers' cars on three occasions recently. Vehicles and the church have been vandalised. The word "Allah" has been painted on the church doors.

Mr Bullock said last night's attack came as the study group was coming to an end.

"I heard a loud smash of glass and looked up from the pulpit and saw the flames bursting up from the doors which have a glass panel at the top.

"I jumped down and ran to tell people to get out. I went to see the extent of the fire and there was the remains of a bottle with a rag stinking of some kind of spirit. When it broke it sent the spirit up the doors so the fire looked bigger than it actually was. Someone went to get some water and we managed to put the fire out." Damage was confined to the doors.

Mr Bullock is leading a fund-raising project to help communities in the Indian state of Orissa which was devastated by a cyclone last year and has visited the stricken area several times with aid.

"This kind of attack has been going on for around 18 months," he said.

"The building itself is just bricks and mortar. This is intimidation because they do it when people are inside. It's a whole different ball game.

"These people are so cowardly because they won't face me and discuss the issues but do this kind of thing instead."

Mr Bullock said he will talk to elders at the local mosques about the attacks.

It is the second arson attack on a Brierfield church in recent weeks. In February a blaze was started at the back door of the town's Methodist church. Church member Alan Binns, who was dropping items off at the Colne Road building, put out the blaze before it spread.

Police are investigating the attack on the Gospel Mission which happened at 8.50pm.

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