Church bells are to win protection under new planning rules to stop people who move into towns and villages forcing councils to silence them, The Daily Telegraph can disclose.

Ministers said official planning guidance in England would be changed for new homes to show that the Government is now “standing up for churches”.

Churches have repeatedly had to comply with noise abatement orders to silence church bells after complaints from often only a handful of homeowners despite the fact that they have tolled for decades.

However, ministers have now decided that churches should not have “unreasonable restrictions put on them because of changes in nearby land uses since they were established” because new homes are built near them.

Mr Javid told The Daily Telegraph: “Churches have been part of British life in towns and villages for centuries.

“Their bells should not be silenced by new housing going up which is why planning policy will be strengthened to ensure it will be up to developers building new properties nearby to identify and tackle noise problems.”

Becky Clark, the Church of England’s director of Churches and Cathedrals, said: “We welcome these planned changes, which will help ensure that the distinctive sound of church bells continues to ring out well into the future.