THE Brexit battle bus ran into trouble in Salisbury yesterday when it was barred from parking up on the Market Place.

The plan had been for the Vote Leave campaign coach to set up shop in the square.

But it was not allowed, and so it was the coach, and not Britain, that ended up leaving.

The big red bus dropped off the campaigners and drove a few loops around Salisbury's one-way system, before parking up elsewhere for the afternoon.

Salisbury City Council said the bus was welcome in Salisbury but it would not be fair to traders to allow it onto the square while the Foodie Friday market was underway.

Had it not been for the market, the bus would have been welcome on the square, said city clerk Reg Williams.

Tory MP Priti Patel was the main attraction, after former Mayor of London Boris Johnson cancelled at short notice.

Cllr Richard Clewer, who is backing the Brexit campaign, said the day of campaigning in Salisbury was successful, with around 40 supporters turning out, more than he had expected.

He said campaigners were "a wide and varied group of people", many of whom were not interested in party politics.

"There's clearly a UKIP element as well," he said.

"We are getting a pretty positive response."

Out on the campaign trail again today, Cllr Clewer said he had been in an area of Salisbury that was "50-50" on Britain's membership of the EU.

Most people, he said, still did not know which they were going to vote on June 23.

Cllr Clewer said the city council had not wanted the battle bus on the market square, but "driving a bus around Salisbury all day is not conducive to traffic flow".