A nationwide survey of people attending Christian services on Sundays has revealed Oxfordshire to be a comparatively devout part of Britain.

The latest figures, compiled by Dr Peter Brierley, a former Cabinet Office statistician, revealed 7.8 per cent of people in the county went to church regularly on Sundays in 1998. Merseyside was top, with 12.1 per cent, and South Yorkshire was bottom, with 4.5 per cent.

Overall, the figures showed a nationwide decline in church attendance since 1979, when 11.2 per cent of people living in Oxfordshire were regular Sunday churchgoers.

But the Rev Richard Thomas, the Diocese of Oxford's communications director, said the figures did not accurately reflect churchgoing trends. He said: "Changes in Sunday trading laws have brought about a change in the pattern of membership, which gives an appearance of decline. People are now going to church every two or three weeks rather than every week.

"The Church of England recognises that we are under-counting the number of people who regularly go to church because of this change in attendance patterns."

Mr Thomas said organisations of all kinds, including political parties and youth organisations, had seen their membership numbers drop.

He said: "Set in that context, the Church of England has done extremely well. During the first five years of the past decade our membership has actually grown."