Church spires across the country could be turned into transmitters after St Giles Church in Great Maplestead showed others how well it could work.

The Government has signed a deal with The Church of England to allow the spires to be digital bases.

The “4Jesus” scheme has been a success in Great Maplestead for two years and was chosen as the site for the national launch.

The Bishop of Chelmsford, Rt Revd Stephen Cottrell, and St Giles’ vicar, Revd Gay Ellis, were filmed and interviewed on the roof of the church on Friday before the announcement was aired on Sky News on Sunday.

St Giles Church had a small satellite dish installed on the top of its tower, along with four telecom transmitters, which has seen broadband speed for 120 homes increase from 2MB to 20MB.

The Rev Ellis said: “The physical installation of the transmitters at St Giles Great Maplestead has probably not been noticed by the congregation and community but the benefits certainly have been appreciated.

“As one of the first churches to install such equipment we are very pleased the recent agreement between the Church of England and the Government will build on our experience and enable other communities to gain access to fast broadband through the use of church towers and spires.”

The deal is between the Church of England, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

The Diocese of Chelmsford has already been supporting programmes which use church buildings to improve connectivity in rural areas.

The Bishop of Chelmsford, Rt Revd Stephen Cottrell, said: “We know rural churches in particular have always served as a hub for their communities.

“Encouraging churches to improve connectivity will help tackle two of the biggest issues rural areas face - isolation and sustainability.

“The Diocese of Chelmsford has been pioneering this approach with county broadband since 2013. Our work has significantly improved rural access to high-speed broadband.

"Many new forms of technology are available to improve internet access in rural areas and I hope this partnership between the Church of England and the Government will help rural churches consider how they can be part of the solution.

"I know many churches already help people access the internet and provide digital skills training, and this accord is a natural extension of great work already occurring.”

The scheme had to be handled sensitively given the significance of the church however communication is a key part of Christianity and the benefits have been welcomed.