CHESTER Cathedral is to be set up for solar power from today (Thursday, July 7) as the structure takes steps towards reducing its carbon footprint.

Roof-mounted solar panels will be installed as the Church of England calls on all parts of the Church to become net zero carbon by 2030, in the wake of the climate emergency.

The solar panels will be in three sections on the Cathedral roof and will be able to provide a significant portion of the electricity required to run the site, generating a reduction of approximately 12.39 tCO2 each year.

As the largest heritage site in Chester and the principle place of Christian worship in Cheshire, welcoming over 300,000 visitors per year, the historic building requires a significant amount of money to fuel - which is mainly provided by public donations.

Dean of Chester, the Very Revd Dr Tim Stratford said: "Chester Cathedral is the mother church of the Diocese of Chester and has a responsibility to be sustainable. For us, sustainability includes ensuring that we are doing everything we can to reduce our carbon footprint and lessen our negative impact on our planet.

"It also means ensuring that we can fund the essential work carried out on our magnificent cathedral. The installation of solar panels on the roof will achieve both aims, in reducing the amount of fossil fuels burnt to heat our building; and in the longer-term reducing the cost required to provide this fuel."

Work is expected to continued throughout the month.