Religious leaders were labelled "underhand and deceitful" for planning to show prospective tenants around a landmark church under threat of closure.

Campaigners fighting to save St Peter's Church in York Place, Brighton, were furious when they discovered the Rural Dean Canon Neil Milmine had organised the meeting.

The church, thought of by many in Brighton and Hove as the city's "cathedral", is facing closure because of the high costs of running the building.

Parishioners voted to fight the closure, arguing St Peter's should remain a working church while developing additional community services.

Consultation is continuing so members of the congregation were angry when they discovered plans for Canon Milmine to show prospective tenants around the church yesterday.

About 50 protesters gathered at the church and held placards and candles to block the entrance.

In a symbolic gesture, the wardens barred the church doors with their wands. However, it is thought news of the protest got back to the Diocese of Chichester and the meeting was cancelled.

Church warden Mary Woodhouse said: "We are angry this had been arranged behind our backs. The church wardens have a legal responsibility for the building but we were kept in the dark. It is a small victory for us because the meeting didn't actually take place.

"The church still belongs to the people of the parish and the consultation is still in its first stages so to be doing something like this is wholly inappropriate."

In March, the Diocesan Pastoral Committee, a Church of England body in charge of the city, said it would recommend the landmark building be "made redundant". Its congregation, which can total 90 on a Sunday and 2,000 at Christmas services, would have to go to other churches in the area.

Maureen Dickson, secretary of the Friends of St Peter's Church, said: "This was underhand and deceitful and makes a nonsense of the consultation process. And it is extremely disrespectful to the church wardens and the congregation. It's a bit like taking a prospective buyer around your house without your knowledge when you haven't decided to sell it."

The church wardens are to meet the Diocesan Pastoral Committee at 7.30pm tonight. A 3,000-strong petition backing their campaign will be handed over.