WILTSHIRE residents who normally enjoy a bank holiday visit to the ghost village of Imber on Salisbury Plain will miss out this year as it is the venue for an experimental arts event.

The music and art event is being organised by Artangel, the organisation responsible for Rachel Whiteread's concrete cast of a house in east London.

It is staging what publicity terms a promenade event over the entire August bank holiday weekend, from today until Monday.

Details of the weekend have been kept under wraps, but the extravaganza will feature music by Georgia's most distinguished living composer, Giya Kancheli, performed by the Rustavi Choir from Georgia in the former Soviet Union, a single chorister from Salisbury Cathedral's boys' choir and the Matrix Ensemble under the musical direction of another Georgian, Nika Memanishvili.

The Plains village of Imber was evacuated by the Army in 1942 when it was needed for the training of US troops.

At the time, the residents were promised they could return when the national emergency was over, but the Ministry of Defence has always denied that any promise was made.

Now the village is being transformed for the weekend by multi-media artist Jeremy Herbert, who has created innovative stage designs for artistes as diverse as John Tavener and Madonna.

It is the culmination of a three-year project commissioned by Artangel with the support of the Army and Salisbury diocese and funding from the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation.

Although there has been virtually no publicity about the event apart from leaflets distributed to libraries and tourist information centres, it is thought to have been sold out for all three nights well ahead of time, despite ticket prices of £15.

And though the performances take place at 7.30pm each evening, the Ministry of Defence confirmed that access will be denied to members of the public other than members of the audience for the shows.

Lesley Hawes, from Worton, is furious that her annual pilgrimage to Imber is being thwarted.

She said: "I always use the bank holiday opening of the Plain's roads to drive to Imber, and out the other side, usually taking the Gore's Cross to Warminster route.

"I used to work in Warminster and, on days when it was permitted, this was my route to work.

"It was a pleasant and shorter way to get to work. The countryside is unspoilt and I still look forward to my trip through Imber.

"Does this installation art event mean that either I will be banned altogether, through not having a ticket, or will have to buy one in order to appreciate my local countryside, just so that London luvvies can have their junket in peace?"

Much of the action at the arts event will centre on St Giles Church, the only original village building left standing.

Although it is a Grade I-listed building, the Salisbury diocese of the Church of England last year applied to close the church as the upkeep of it was costing too much.

Although access to the village will be restricted this weekend, roads to the village will be open between 8am on August 25 to 6pm on August 28, then again between noon and 3pm on August 30 for a service at St Giles Church.