THE annual heritage Imberbus service will run from Warminster across to the lost village of Imber and other isolated locations on Salisbury Plain on Saturday, August 20.

Imber village was evacuated in 1943 by the Army to allow it to be used as a training area, and other than for a few days each year has been out of bounds ever since.

Sir Peter Hendy, chairman of Network Rail and a member of the Imberbus organising team, said: “The bus service, which is operated by iconic red London double deck Routemaster buses, was initially introduced as a one off experiment in 2009, but was so popular that it has become an annual fundraising event, last year raising £8,000 which was split between the Imber Church fund and the Royal British Legion.”

Buses will leave from Warminster Station every half hour from 9.45am onwards and will travel across Salisbury Plain over roads that are normally closed to the general public to the deserted village of Imber, where the church will be open and refreshments available.

The buses will then continue on across the Plain to the villages of Market/West Lavington or to Tilshead and Chitterne, as well as serving other isolated locations rarely visited by the public, such as the New Zealand Farm Camp and Brazen Bottom.

Tickets for the journey from Warminster to Imber cost £2 each way, while a £10 day ticket will allow passengers to spend the entire day exploring the area from the top deck of a bus.

For further details and the timetable visit imberbus.wordpress.com.