Wandering visitors at risk of bombs in ‘ghost village’

A CELEBRATED “ghost village” church on Salisbury Plain could be closed to visitors because wandering sightseers are risking blowing themselves up on unexploded bombs.

Burgeoning crowds visiting the Wiltshire village of Imber and its church on Ministry of Defence land are accused of defying safety rules and trespassing.

The abandoned village and St Giles’ Church are only open to the public for a fortnight each August, but this year the window has been cut to just three days due to safety fears. Last year stewards struggled to control 16,000 visitors.

Visitors are refusing to keep out of restricted areas and risk being hurt in abandoned buildings, or by unexploded ordnance from military exercises.

The village was evacuated in November 1943 to help the training of US troops ahead of the Normandy landings. It has been abandoned and under military control ever since.

An MOD spokesman said: “Our priority has to be the safety of visitors and some were putting themselves in danger, so we decided to limit the number of days the church is open.”