MORE than 6,000 people have visited a long-abandoned Wiltshire village 80 years after it was taken over for use as a military training area.

Thousands  of people from all over Wiltshire and beyond visited the deserted village of Imber on Salisbury Plain over the Easter Bank Holiday weekend.

The village was opened for three days on Saturday, Sunday and Monday. It should have been open on Good Friday but was closed by the Ministry of Defence for live firing exercises.

Wiltshire Times: The buildings, built similar to an Irish village, to train soldiers in urban warfare. Image: Trevor Porter 76935-2The buildings, built similar to an Irish village, to train soldiers in urban warfare. Image: Trevor Porter 76935-2 (Image: Trevor Porter)

Neil Skelton, the custodian of the historic 13th century St Giles Church for the Churches Conservation Trust charity, said: “We were very, very busy over the weekend.

“We had 2,000 visitors on Saturday, 1,800 on Sunday and over 1,700 on Monday.

“We probably had in excess of 6,000 visitors and the weather remained fair for us, which was pretty good. We sold lots of merchandise and lots of cups of tea and coffee.”

Wiltshire Times: John Mitchell, an Imber Safety Team volunteer, was on duty to advise visitors. Image: Trevor Porter 76935-6John Mitchell, an Imber Safety Team volunteer, was on duty to advise visitors. Image: Trevor Porter 76935-6 (Image: Trevor Porter)

John Mitchell, 74, from Cirencester, is one of the Imber Safety Team volunteers who make sure that visitors stay safe during their visits to the village, which was abandoned 80 years ago.

He said: “We were supposed to be open for four days over Easter but the MoD held some live firing on Good Friday so it was closed.

“Everyone behaved themselves apart from some children who climbed on the tanks at the east end of the village where there is a mock canal about 12 feet deep and a Bailey Bridge.

“We moved the sign and tried to block the Bailey Bridge but the children went over it and were playing on the tanks.”

Wiltshire Times: Philip Stevens and Mandy Slade were among the thousands of Easter visitors to Imber. Image: Trevor Porter 76935-1 Philip Stevens and Mandy Slade were among the thousands of Easter visitors to Imber. Image: Trevor Porter 76935-1 (Image: Trevor Porter)

The residents of Imber were ordered to leave the village in November 1943 to allow American troops to conduct close-quarter combat training before the D-Day Normandy landings in France in June 1944.

After the Second World War ended, they were not allowed to move back and Imber became a specialist military training area for the armed forces.

Wiltshire Times: The historic 13th century St Giles Church looms above the houses in Imber. Image: Trevor Porter 76935-3The historic 13th century St Giles Church looms above the houses in Imber. Image: Trevor Porter 76935-3 (Image: Trevor Porter)

The next open day at Imber will be the Imber Bus Day on Saturday, August 17, which annually raises tens of thousands of pounds for various charities

Visitors will be able to access Imber via a fleet of traditional London red buses and other buses from around the country.

Imber will also be open for three days over the August Bank Holiday weekend from Saturday, to Monday, August 24-26.