Churchgoers are being reminded not to dip wafers in the chalice when taking communion in order to minimise the spread of germs and colds this winter.

With flu season inching closer, the Bishop of Manchester, the Right Reverend David Walker is asking churches to review their communion procedures to keep the spread of germs to a minimum.

He said: 'It is already advised nationally that, for reasons of hygiene, the intinction of wafers should be avoided.

'When a wafer is given into the hands of a communicant, it may become contaminated by germs lying on the skin.

'Intincting the wafer then introduces those germs directly into the wine; there is also the possibility of finger tips inadvertently dipping into the liquid.'

He said that members of the congregation with a heavy cold should be assured that it was enough to take the bread alone.

'Should a communicant not wish to drink from the chalice, perhaps through having a heavy cold, then he or she may be assured that to receive the sacrament in one kind alone (bread or wine) is to receive the sacrament in its entirety,' he said.

Flu season leaves many people suffering with blocked noses, fevers, sore throats and coughs. But for some - the elderly and very young in particular - a flu can be deadly.

The Express reports that there has been a steady increase in the number of people becoming ill with the flu in Britain over the last four years. Statistics from Public Health England showed them to be particularly prevalent in care homes and hospitals.

In addition to hygiene concerns, Bishop Walker said there was increasing awareness of gluten intolerance and the reaction that some people could have even to a sip of communion wine that a wafer had been dipped into.

'We are becoming increasingly aware of the severe reaction some people have to gluten,' he sad.

'As a result, churches are now used to providing gluten-free bread in services of Holy Communion.

'However, what is often overlooked is that dipping wafers in the wine can introduce gluten which others then drink.'