MEMBERS of the congregation were startled when a picture of a naked woman was accidentally displayed on a PowerPoint screen at a North Yorkshire church.

About 50 members of the 5 o’clock service were present in a teaching session at St Mark’s Church in Harrogate when the technical glitch occured.

Canon John Carter, spokesman for the Diocese of Ripon and Leeds, said an “inappropriate image from the internet of a Page 3 type” appeared momentarily on the screen.

“This was clearly not intended but was so fleeting it was not spotted by the leader of the teaching session and very few people seem to be have been aware of it,” he said.

“No-one made any comment or complaint at the time or after the service, but if anyone was offended we of course would like to apologise for this unfortunate occurrence.”

He added that the presentation was not in the church itself but a meeting room, and no children were present.