An unlikely alliance has been forged between a Bradford-based insurer and a firm of bouncers to protect churches this Christmas.

Church insurer Congregational & General, which covers more than 7,000 places of worship, has struck a deal with a West Yorkshire firm of “door supervisors”.

The insurer and Wakefield-based Protex Security will offer guidance to church workers on how to tackle unruly worshippers who are aggressive or who may have enjoyed too much seasonal spirit of the liquid kind.

C&G says, with the Christmas and New Year season attracting more church visitors than other times of the year, drawing on the skills and experience of club doormen is handling with drunken revellers is appropriate.

Mick Taylor, managing director of Protex Security, said: “The most important thing for anyone to remember when put in a potentially uncomfortable situation is to think rationally and avoid physical contact where possible.

“Crucially you need to assess the situation and determine the level of risk to both yourself and any innocent bystanders.

“Working on the doors on a Saturday night may well be a more extreme environment than carrying out duties inside a church, but the basic principles remain the same.

“If an incident occurs a person’s emotional state should always be considered.

“By using non-aggressive behaviour like showing the intruder open hands, or using empathy, you stand a good chance of defusing the situation in a quick and safe way.”

Margaret Slater, marketing manager at Congregational, said: “While we don’t want to be alarmist, it is important to be aware that occasionally incidents can occur in places of worship, putting people, who are often volunteers, in a compromising position. With little or no guidance provided for church volunteers, we wanted to highlight this by drawing on the experience of another organisation more familiar with dealing with such scenarios.

“The tips we are offering are aimed at diffusing the situation without causing distress.

“There may be underlying emotional reasons for an individual’s actions, not necessarily drink-related, so we advise taking a calm approach to visitors who display signs of agitation or aggression.”

Congregational & General’s church insurance business is worth more £5 billion. It has rapidly expanded its household and also covers private homeowners to the tune of £9 billion.