A 53-year-old man has been spoken to by police in Stoke-on-Trent for distributing leaflets door-to-door which claimed that homosexuality is “not natural”, and that it is a “rebellion against nature”.

Residents of Longton and Fenton were shocked to discover that the leaflets had been posted through their doors by the man who was spoken to by police, but not charged, last week.

Prosecutors are now deciding whether the man will face charges, according to the Stoke Sentinel.

The leaflets, which read that same-sex marriage is “contrary to the divine law”, “blasphemy against God”, and a “rebellion against nature”, were condemned by families, church leaders and LGBT rights organisations as “deeply offensive”, “vile” and “sick”.

Some families feared that the leaflets had been posted to target individual gay people, but it later became clear that they had been widely distributed.

The literature also claimed that there can “never be any such thing as gay marriage”, and that homosexuality is “unnatural”.

A Staffordshire Police spokesman said: “We received a number of reports concerning homophobic leaflets being delivered to properties. The leaflets, which caused offence to many people were distributed generally to homes in the area. The man responsible has now been located by officers and interviewed about his actions.”

LGBT police liaison officers have visited the area, and local gay community.

An investigation is ongoing.

Update: This article previously stated that a man had been arrested – this was not the case, and Staffordshire Police clarified that officers were liaising with the Crown Prosecution Service to decide whether charges will be brought.