Fred Phelps and his daughter Shirley Phelps-Roper from the US church which preaches hatred of gays have been banned from entering the UK by Home Secretary Jacqui Smith.

They planned to protests against a play being put on in Hampshire. Queen Mary's College in Basingstoke is staging The Laramie Project. The play is about a man killed for being gay.

The UK Border Agency said it opposed "extremism in all its forms. Both these individuals have engaged in unacceptable behaviour by inciting hatred against a number of communities.

"The government has made it clear it opposes extremism in all its forms. We will continue to stop those who want to spread extremism, hatred and violent messages in our communities from coming to our country. The exclusions policy is targeted at all those who seek to stir up tension and provoke others to violence regardless of their origins and beliefs."

The church's website promoted the picket which was set to take place on Friday, comments inlcuded, "In merry old England they plan to further enrage the living God by putting on the farce known commonly as The Laramie Project. We will picket them, and see if they actually believe those lies they tell about how tolerant and accepting Brits are."

Members of the group based in Topeka, Kansas, have denounced homosexuality for years and have in the past targeted the funerals of Aids victims. In 2007, the church was told to pay $10.9m after its members cheered a soldier's death as "punishment" for US tolerance of homosexuality.