A haunting new image of the Nativity set inside an urban bus shelter was unveiled yesterday as part of a campaign to promote awareness of the Christmas story.

A haunting new image of the Nativity set inside an urban bus shelter was unveiled yesterday as part of a campaign to promote awareness of the Christmas story.

The oil painting by Andrew Gadd, showing the holy family with halos in a dirty, dark bus shelter, was unveiled at St Martin-in-the-Fields Church in central London.

Shepherds and wise men are replaced by passengers, with some watching the Nativity while others appear oblivious and are checking the bus timetable and flagging down a bus. The image will be used for posters at more than 1000 bus shelters across the UK as part of a campaign by the Churches Advertising Network (CAN).

The network has previously run controversial campaigns including a poster depicting Jesus as the revolutionary leader Che Guevara and one suggesting that Mary was having a "bad hair day" when she discovered she was pregnant. Francis Goodwin, CAN chairman, said: "We want to challenge people to make them reassess what the birth of Jesus means to them."

Mr Gadd said: "The bus stop when simplified is like a stable. It is after all a shelter - a place people go to but never want to be."