The abandoned UK village which only opens to tourists once a year

HOLIDAYMAKERS return to an abandoned UK village and make their way there on red double-decker buses.

The eerie village of Imber on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire has stood empty for almost 80 years.

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Imber was stripped of its occupants during World War II in 1943 and used to train Allied forces in preparation for it D Day.

But when World War II ended, residents were not allowed to return.

The British to this day army still uses the village for training.

But tourists are allowed to flock back to the village in red open top buses for a day every year.

The bus service has been in operation since 2009, this year’s visit is scheduled to take place on August 19, 2023.

Holidaymakers are collected from Warminster in Wiltshire and driven directly to the historic site via military roads.

The buses will run every 15 minutes. Tickets cost £10 for a full-paying adult and £2 for a child.

Ticket costs go towards the upkeep of the village’s abandoned church, St Giles’s Church, and the Royal British Legion.

Tourists and former residents can explore some of the village’s remaining buildings, including an abandoned church, a town hall, and a handful of houses.

Apart from the restored church, most of the buildings were damaged during years of tank, armored vehicle and live fire exercises.

Despite the damage to the buildings, 2,000 holidaymakers visited the abandoned village for a day last year.

Lord Hendy, from Richmond Hill and Imber in Wiltshire, said: “For the fourteenth year running, we welcome passengers aboard one of the country’s quirkiest bus services.”

“Everyone is welcome; my colleagues and I look forward to seeing you on Saturday 19 August.”

But this is not the only place in the UK that has been abandoned by its residents.

Residents of Hirta, one of the largest islands in the St Kilda archipelago, have been evacuated from their homes Houses in 1930.

Residents were evacuated on HMS Harebell and across Scotland to places such as Oban, invernessand fife.

Although they never returned, the island has started welcoming tourists in recent years.

And another “ghost town” turned into a “boom town” that attracted people from afar.

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