The Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham has warned that the Northern Ireland Sexual Orientation Regulations fail to strike a fair balance between the rights of homosexual people to be treated with dignity and the rights of Christians to live according to their faith.

A challenge to the regulations mounted by Lord Morrow failed earlier in the week, despite a huge protest by around 1,000 Christians, Muslims and Jews outside the House of Lords.

Speaking in the House of Lords earlier in the week, the Rt Rev George Cassidy welcomed the "very proper protection against injustice" provided by the regulations.

He said, however, that, "The regulations clearly demonstrate the need to strike a fair balance between the rights of homosexual people to be treated with dignity and respect and the rights of Christians and other people of faith to manifest their religious beliefs, including in relation to sexual conduct.

"In the view of a number of us on these benches, these hastily prepared regulations fail to do that."

He continued: "Instead, they run the risk of facing significant numbers of people, as we have heard earlier in the debate, with the choice between complying with the law or with their religiously informed conscience.

"Whether that is the intention of the Secretary of State, or simply the unintended consequence of regulations produced with inadequate consultation, is unclear. But it causes many of us great concern."