A damning report has described the culture among staff and volunteers at Wells Cathedral as one of "unhappiness and fear."

An audit by the Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE), which was commissioned by the governing Cathedral Chapter, discovered claims of loss of temper, shouting and a "power imbalance." Although the draft report praised the Cathedral for strengths in its safeguarding practices and a good working relationship with the cathedral school, auditors observed that: "Staff themselves appear unhappy and some have developed vulnerabilities which have not been recognised."

Vergers described relationships with the Dean as difficult "because of standards which appear unattainable" and many people complained of "an underlying but very evident message" that things must be done in a certain way.

The report adds: "Where standards fall short or are different from that expected, staff and volunteers report they are made to feel fear and unhappiness.

"This takes the form of loss of temper, shouting and a reported embodiment of the very power imbalance reflected as potentially abusive in the Leadership Training undertaken."

Comments included "a feeling of heaviness" when entering the cathedral; a "culture of fear"; being at the cathedral as "the most unhappy time of my life"; "power imbalance"; "misuse of power"; and "treading on eggshells".

There were particular issues raised around Vicar's Close where most of the lay staff live, with it being described as "uncomfortably close to being a closed community".

"At present the terms on which people live there creates dependency which then risks subtly infantilising people until they act out their feelings in a way that is not adult," says the report. It adds: "Perhaps excellence has become tainted by perfectionism and standards that are too high to be maintained 100 per cent of the time, leaving too many people with a constant fear of failures."

A statement by the Cathedral Chapter said it was "shocked and very saddened to learn of some of the feelings expressed",

The statement said: "While the audit report, which is only a draft at this stage, recognises many strengths in our safeguarding practices, the Cathedral Chapter (the governing body of the Cathedral) was nonetheless shocked and very saddened to learn of some of the feelings expressed. As a body, we are deeply sorry to hear of this unhappiness and anxiety. We want to listen and learn and take the concerns extremely seriously. We have already started to consider the helpful questions raised by the SCIE auditors in the full report.

"While we strive for happy excellence with faith at the heart of everything we do at the Cathedral, we need to do so within a caring and supportive environment and the wellbeing of all staff and volunteers is of the utmost importance. Wells Cathedral seeks to be a centre of welcome and well-being, where all can be embraced by the forgiving love and grace of God.

"When the report is finalised, it will be made available on our website with the action plan we are undertaking to create a healthy culture of care."