The Church is "abandoning" the poor because middle-class clergy are unwilling to move away from "trendy coffee shops", a bishop has said.

The Rt Revd Philip North launched a stinging critique of Church of England priests who are too wedded to wealthy areas to minister to the poor.

In a speech made at the Christian conference New Wine, the Bishop of Burnley said: "I am astonished at the number of people Jesus is calling to plant new churches as long as they are in Zones 1 and 2 of the London transport system."

He added: "If you feel called to plant, we need you on the outer estates, we need you in our northern towns, we need you in areas where a majority of people come from other world faiths, we need you in those areas where the trendy coffee shops and artisanal bakers are hard to find.