MORE than 300 people braved the winter weather to attend a special commemorative service in Wiltshire's ghost village on Saturday.

The event in Imber, on the Salisbury Plain, saw former residents join crowds of visitors at St Giles' Church to mark 60 years since the village was evacuated.

On December 17, 1943 residents were forced to leave the village near Warminster when it was taken over for training US troops in World War II.

Despite apparent government promises that villagers could return after the conflict Imber, which is now owned by the MoD, has remained uninhabited to this day.

Among those attending was Ken Mitchell, 77, who was born in Imber in 1926. He and his wife Joyce are staunch members of the Friends of Imber Church, who organised Saturday's programme.

He said: "It was really good to think that so many people came to support us. It took quite a lot of effort for us to put the service together so it was very pleasing.

"There are not many Imberians left alive today and I am lucky to be one of them. Three hundred people came despite it being a typical winter's day so it really shows that those people were enthusiastic about the church."

The event was also shown on Sky TV the following day, which further raised the isolated village's profile.

Proceedings began at 1pm when Warminster Baptist pastor Martin Robinson dedicated a marble memorial stone to honour the village's Baptist community in front a 60-strong crowd.

Visitors then moved up to the church, which was decked out with a Christmas tree, flowers and Christmas lights. The service, which was conducted by local vicar Rev Dr Graham Southgate, also included singing from Edington Priory Choir and music from a string quartet.

Friends of Imber Church chairman and Warminster councillor John Syme said: "The church was packed out, there were well over 300 people inside.

"All the chairs were taken and people were standing in the aisles. We were dead chuffed with it, we've had so many phone calls congratulating us."

Visitors were treated to a performance from teenage harp prodigy Cecilia Sultana de Maria.

Cllr Syme said: "She was brilliant. She played after the service and no one left their seats. She couldn't play for too long though because her fingers got cold."