Abandoned Imber church holds remembrance service

The church is opened for services on a handful of occasions each year

A remembrance service has been held at an abandoned church in a derelict village in Wiltshire.

The Army took over Imber on Salisbury Plain during World War Two to use the area for training. Residents had to move out and were never allowed back.

Imber has been used by the military ever since. It allows access to the village a few times each year.

About 100 people attended the service at St Giles Church, one of the only buildings remaining standing.

The Rev Mark Jones, the rector of Bratton, who took the service, said: "All Imber services have a special poignancy because of the evacuation and the fact it doesn't have a population living in the village.

"This is an active military range, so people have to be escorted by the Army over to Imber.

"Having said that, whenever services take place at Imber the church is absolutely packed out."