Neil Basu, Deputy Assistant Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, said: "There is no specific intelligence relating to attacks against the Christian community in the UK.

"However, as we have seen, Daesh and other terrorist groups have targeted Christian as well as Jewish and other faith groups in the West and beyond.

"Following recent events in France, we are reiterating our protective security advice to Christian places of worship and have circulated specific advice today. We are also taking this opportunity to remind them to review their security arrangements as a precaution.

"While the threat from terrorism remains unchanged at severe, we urge the public to be vigilant."

The church that was targeted in Normandy had been on a “hit list” found on a 24-year-old Algerian jihadi who had planned attacks last year in a Parisian suburb.

Sid Ahmed Ghlam, a computer sciences student, was arrested by French police who are investigating whether he was directed to carry out attacks on churches by Isil.

One of the killers, named as Adel Kermiche, was known to have been radicalised and was on a watch list as a potential threat to national security.