Worshippers will not be allowed to sing and are encouraged to bring their own prayer books - as Canterbury Cathedral resumes its services.

The cathedral is reopening its doors to the public this weekend following months of closure, with a service led by Archbishop Justin Welby to mark the occasion.

The world-famous site has lost more than £2 million during the lockdown, but will be welcoming visitors back from Saturday, with one-way routes and distanced seating in place.

To mark the reopening, the Archbishop will lead the cathedral's 10.30am Eucharist on Sunday.

Daily services will then take place from Sunday onwards, but not as they have ever been known.

While the cathedral is famed the world over for its choirs, choral singing is not yet permitted by the government.

As such, neither the choir nor the congregation will be allowed to sing during services.

A spokesman added: "Raising voices and shouting are also discouraged because of the potential for increased risk of transmission from aerosol and droplets. Therefore, spoken responses during worship should also not be in a raised voice."

Bread will still be distributed at Communion but wine will not.

Meanwhile, worshippers are encouraged to bring along their own copy of prayer books. Bibles and prayer books in place at the cathedral will be quarantined for at least 48 hours between use.

A cathedral spokesman said: "We’ve introduced a range of new safety measures to ensure your wellbeing, including one-way routes, enhanced cleaning regimes, hand sanitiser stations, distanced seating, additional signage and floor markings, and PPE for our staff, volunteers and constables as appropriate.

"We’ve also made several other changes, including the introduction of pre-booked tickets to attend our 10.30 Sunday Eucharist."

All worshippers will be asked for their details on booking or entry to the cathedral, to comply with government guidance on NHS Test and Trace.

Toilets will be open between 10am and 4pm daily, with one-way routes in place.

Due to building works Christchurch Gate is currently closed. Access for services is instead via the Postern or Mint Yard Gates.

From this Saturday, the cathedral will be open to visitors from 10am to 4pm Monday to Saturday and 12.30pm to 4pm on Sundays.

Entry to the grounds is free until July 12. After that, children will still go free and adult prices will be reduced until September.

On-site parking is available for Blue Badge holders only.

From tomorrow, the cathedral had been due to display a tunic thought to have been worn by Thomas Becket at the time of his murder in 1170, but the plans have now been postponed.

A spokesman said: "We're hopeful that we will be able to reschedule the loan of Becket's tunic to 2021 to coincide with the new date of the Lambeth Conference.

"Discussions with the Vatican will resume soon. Anyone who would like to stay up-to-date with this and other news from the cathedral - including the rescheduling of our Becket2020 events to 2021 - can subscribe to our e-newsletter."

To donate to the cathedral, visit its JustGiving page.

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