A Roman Catholic church in Banbury has welcomed a new priest - after the last one left to work in a petrol station.

Father Mervyn Tower, who takes up his new post at St John's Church on May 1, was born and educated in Banbury. He is the first priest brought up in the town in the church's history.

He succeeds Father Bede Walsh, who shocked the town by resigning earlier this month.

He is now understood to be working at a petrol station in the Coventry area.

Fr Walsh has not given a reason for his resignation and was unavailable for comment.

Fr Tower went to Dashwood Primary School and Banbury Grammar School but has not lived in the town since his schooldays. He studied history at Oxford University and did one year's voluntary service in the Yemen teaching English before travelling to Rome to study philosophy and theology.

He was ordained into the Catholic church in 1978.

Three more years of study in Rome followed before he was appointed priest at Small Heath in Birmingham.

Fr Tower taught at Oscott College, in Sutton Coldfield, from 1983 to 1996 - when he was appointed priest at St Thomas More Church in Kidlington.

He said: "I'm looking forward to working with the Roman Catholic congregation in Banbury and with the wider community.

"It will be good to rediscover Banbury after all these years, and it will be nice working with Fr Stephen at St Joseph's Church in the town.

"I believe it is the first time in the history of St John's that a Banbury-born person has returned to be priest."

Congregations at St John's and St Joseph's have donated their Easter Sunday collections - totalling about £1,000 - to Fr Walsh.