Security measures you should expect at Bath's Christmas Market
Armed police will be manning markets in some of the UK's biggest cities.
Max BakerTrainee Digital Reporter
Barnaby Kellaway
Security has been stepped up across the country (Image: SWNS)
Want to receive the latest top stories from around Bath straight to your inbox?
Organisers of Bath Christmas Market have revealed the security measures which will be deployed at this year's event.
Festive events in some of the country's biggest cities feature a 'ring of steel' and armed police to bolster security.
Officers with assault rifles can be seen mingling with revellers enjoying bratwurst, mince pies and mulled wine this festive season in cities including Leeds, Manchester and Birmingham.
Somerset Live has contacted Avon and Somerset Police, Visit Bath and Bath and North East Somerset Council for information on security measures for the city's Christmas market which starts on Thursday.
The police are yet to confirm the level of attendance expected for this year's event in Bath, but organisers have declared that safety is obviously their 'prime concern'.
Bath Christmas Market 2018: Everything we know, from start dates to where to park
Armed police officers survey the 2018 Manchester Christmas Markets as they open across Manchester City Centre. (Image: SWNS)
Visitors to markets in the UK's biggest cities are kept within a highly secure perimeter designed to stop vehicle-ramming attacks like the ones committed in London last year.
Craig Jenkins, executive chariman at Visit Bath said: "Our Bath Christmas market provides a huge positive benefit to the city. The wonderful seasonal theme always gives a great sense of inclusiveness and wellbeing, bringing communities together, creating some 700 jobs and over £29m additional spend into the local economy.
"As organisers of the Bath Christmas market, public safety and security is always our prime concern, as it is now at any major public event in the country.
"We continuously review and enhance our safety and security measures, closely coordinating these with other agencies and services including of course BANES, to providing as safe an environment as possible for our visitors, residents and traders.
"As in previous years many security measures are visible, you will see physical barriers and uniformed officers along with our own security personnel, surveillance cameras and equipment, with other security measures active in the background."
The Bath Christmas Market starts on Thursday, November 22, and the population of Bath is expected to swell in that time as tourist flock to the stalls.
The opening times of the market will be:
Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays: 10am–7pm
Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays: 10am–8:30pm
Sundays: 10am–6pm
There will be over 160 chalets placed in bath during the market, with vendors selling everything from home-cooked food to wooden ties.
In a bid to prevent attackers from concealing weapons or explosives, people will be subject to stop and search checks before going into markets in metropolitan areas across the UK.
In the event an attack does happen incident response units are stationed close to the festivities, ready to react to an incident.
In 2016 an IS fanatic ploughed a lorry into a Christmas market in Berlin, killing 12 people.
These pictures show the increased measures implemented by police in Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds after markets opened to the public last weekend.
Sturdy bollards and heavy planters protect the entrances to Leeds Christmas market. (Image: SWNS)
They have been put in place amid fears of an imminent terror attack in Britain.
According to Mi5 the current terror threat level to the country is "severe", meaning an attack "is highly likely".
Tensions are high after three vehicle-ramming attacks in London last year on Westminster Bridge, London Bridge and in Finsbury Park.
Bath Christmas Market 2018: Every single chalet you can expect to see
However, there haven't been any terrorist attacks in the UK in 2018, compared with four last year, including the Manchester Arena bombing.
Want more news?
To subscribe to our daily newsletter, enter your email address into the box at the top of this story
To keep up to date with our latest news, follow us on Facebook and Twitter
Find our Bath Facebook page here or Somerset's can be found here
Alternatively, follow us on Twitter - @BathLive and @SomersetLive
Bath and North East Somerset Council
PoliticsTop Tory asked if he still supports PM after Downing Street partyVic Pritchard refuses to respond and accuses Kevin Guy of political point scoring
Radical rethink of roads could see Bath split into four cells
BathCouncil draws inspiration from the largely flat Belgian city of Ghent
KFC: Somerset locations where KFC wants to open a new restaurant
SomersetThe fried chicken brand is set to open 500 new restaurants across the UK
Four more Covid deaths in Somerset as cases remain high
CoronavirusThere have been a further 1,286 cases recorded
Bath hospital stands down critical incident
BathThe hospital had been battling high levels of staff sickness and a lack of beds