Heavy security has been put in place for the annual Catholic pilgrimage to a shrine in the French town of Lourdes in the wake of recent terror attacks.

Armed troops and police are patrolling the holy site, which draws pilgrims from around the world, some of whom will be seeking to be cured by its famous spring water.

Bag checks were in operation for visitors entering the Lourdes sanctuary, through a reduced number of entrances compared to previous years.

Concerns have been heightened over the terror threat after two extremists claiming allegiance to Islamic State stormed a morning Mass and slit an elderly priest's throat in Normandy last month.

Lourdes officials refused to cancel this year's pilgrimage, which sees tens of thousands flock to the sanctuary in the foothills of the Pyrenees for the Feast of the Assumption on 15 August, marking the ascent of the Virgin Mary into Heaven.


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However, a number of other festivals around France have been called off due to security concerns.

Image: Father Jacques Hamel was killed in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray last month

Roads were also closed in the market town to ensure the safety of pedestrians.

Last month, a truck was rammed into crowds celebrating Bastille Day on the waterfront in Nice, killing 84 and injuring dozens more.

Nearly 300 extra security force personnel have been drafted in to Lourdes - including bomb squads and dog units - to help local forces, raising the overall presence to more than 500.

Daniel Valdes, a 29-year-old pilgrim from Barcelona, said: "Yes, there is a lot of security, a lot of checking of the bags and yes there is a lot surveillance of all the enclosure."

Speaking to security forces during a visit to the town, French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said: "I've mobilised you all for several months, especially this summer, during an extremely high terrorist threat level."

Lourdes has been a religious centre of pilgrimage since the mid-19th century when a village girl said she had visions of the Virgin Mary.