A gay family was banned from worshiping in an English church, according to an openly gay member of parliament.

Labour MP Ben Bradshaw said an Exeter ‘conservative evangelical church’ had turned away the unnamed couple, who wish to not be identified.

During a debate in the House of Commons, he asked what guidance the Church of England was planning to issue to parishes and church schools on pastoral care for same-sex couples and their children’.

‘I recently came across a case of a Christian couple in a same-sex relationship and with children in the local church primary school to whom it was made clear by the local conservative evangelical church that they would not be welcome to worship in it,’ he said.

‘Intolerance and bigotry have no place whatever in the Church of England.’

Tom Cook, of the Exeter Independent Evangelical Church, which says it did not refuse the couple, told the BBC: ‘We believe what the Bible says and it says that lots of different things are wrong, including homosexual relationships.

He added: ‘We have never faced that problem and I could not say for certain whether we would refuse someone to worship in the church.’

In England and Wales, the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill is heading to the final stages towards giving gay couples the right to marry.

Religious arguments have been at the forefront of the opponents’ arguments, with several Church of England spokespeople saying they are afraid gay people will demand to be married in one of their buildings.

This is in despite of legal experts and government being united saying churches will not be forced under the legislation to marry gay couples.

The bill is currently in the House of Lords on the Report Stage, which finishes today (10 July), with the third reading and vote taking place on 15 July.