Rare bee colony set up in abandoned village of Imber

A retired army major has won permission to establish a colony of rare bees in an abandoned village on Salisbury Plain.

Bee farmer Chris Wilkes is keeping 14 hives of British black bees in the village of Imber in an effort to save the species from extinction.

Imber is normally closed to the public as it is in a Ministry of Defence training zone on Salisbury Plain.

Residents were evacuated in December 1943 and never allowed to return.