Early warning for wedding crowds

Canongate Kirk will be well policed on Saturday

Thousands of people are expected to turn out on Saturday to celebrate the wedding of the Queen's granddaughter Zara Phillips and England rugby star Mike Tindall, in Canongate Kirk.

But with space in the area limited, officers have admitted that access could be restricted if crowd numbers become a problem.

Officers had already warned that there would be "limited capacity" on the Royal Mile's narrow streets, with room for around 2000 people.

As the wedding is considered a private affair, there will be no official public viewing areas.

Interest in the wedding is huge, however, generated by a guest list that includes the Queen, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, as well as celebrities and sports stars. Today, the officer who will be taking charge of the operation said that police expected to have to deal with large crowds.

Superintendent Ivor Marshall, who will be monitoring the day, said he expected people to behave in a sensible and respectful fashion, but said that, operationally, it was a difficult balancing act.

He said: "We have a difficult job here as this is a private wedding and a private royal engagement, but obviously we know there is considerable public interest and so we have to ensure the safety of those people who do want to go along.

"We have put details of entry points to the area on our website, and I believe the council have also provided a lot of information online about road closures.

"There will be barriers in place for public safety reasons, and we will also have officers and stewards out to make sure people can get any help they need."Obviously for people who are planning to go along, I would say if they want to see the proceedings they should get there in plenty of time for what will be an afternoon ceremony, and they should also be prepared to stand around for quite some time, in what we believe will be very hot weather."

He added that police would also be working to provide access for local businesses.

The council will be closing off dozens of roads around the Canongate from 4am on Saturday, to allow workers plenty of time to prepare for the event.

The Canongate will be closed off from 4am, as will Horse Wynd, Dunbar's Close, Gladstone's Court and many other streets.

Street cleaning crews will be out in force to ensure the area looks its best, and barriers will be erected along the pavements to control the crowds.

Residents and businesses have been advised by the council not to put rubbish out on the day, and to take their bins in wherever appropriate, to keep the streets clear.

Businesses in the Canongate have also been asked not to put out A-boards, to ensure there is as much room as possible on the narrow pavements, and warned "any items occupying the footway will be removed".

Ms Phillips is not a working member of the royal family and does not hold a royal title, meaning that the wedding will be treated as a private event.