A Nottingham vicar is picketing outside the constituency office of Brandon Lewis, MP for Great Yarmouth, today over proposals to give local authorities power over their Sunday trading hours.

Canon Geoffrey Roger Harper, 58, has been stood outside Mr Lewis' Gorleston office, on Sussex Road, since 9am this morning asking people to join him in his fight against the new proposals.

Housing minister Mr Lewis has been a part of a government initiative to extend Sunday trading by giving metro mayors and local authorities the power to determine Sunday trading hours.

Canon Harper is handing out flyers in the hope that local residents will sign and oppose to the plans and also has a banner set-up which reads: 'No Rest, Ungodly, Inhuman.'

Speaking about his cause, Canon Harper said: 'I and a number of people think there are enough Sunday trading hours, people can shop, those who want to shop can shop.

'Brandon Lewis wants to give each local authority the power to make their own decision which will just cause division between and within local authorities and it would be more expensive to administer, with each authority having to do its own administration. A clear national policy which is the accepted compromise is worth keeping.'

Current Sunday trading laws allow all stores to open for six hours, between the hours of 10am and 6pm, with most shops either opening from 10am until 4pm or 11am until 5pm.

Two hours into his campaign today Canon Harper had already received some signatures, of which he intends to hand-in to Mr Lewis' office at the end of the day.