A 100-STRONG Harry Potter film crew is to descend on Abbotsbury for two days - to shoot a two-minute clip of reed beds.

The production team is heading to Dorset next week to film the footage for part of the teenage wizard's next adventure, Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince.

A team of about 100 Warner Brothers staff and stunt doubles will travel from London, with about 36 VIPs booked into the Moonfleet Manor Hotel.

They will be in Abbotsbury on Wednesday for two days to film a small amount of footage of reed beds in the village.

Hotel events co-ordinator Emma Gorrell said: "All the staff here are really excited.

"It is a big thing for the area and the idea is that they will set up here for two nights and use it as a headquarters. They will be mostly filming down at Abbotsbury."

She added: "They will be shooting two minutes of film of reed bed systems.

"What amazing budgets they must have to make this trip just for that."

Harry Potter film-makers are no strangers to West Dorset.

In 2004 they asked Abbotsbury's subtropical gardens to add some magic to a frightening forest scene in Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire by asking gardeners to collect leaves.

Hundreds of the Dorset leaves were featured in the background of the film.

The five Harry Potter films released to date make up the highest grossing film series of all time, taking more than $4 billion in total at the box office.

Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix had a budget of some £85 million.

Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince is due for release on November 21 next year and is directed by David Yates.

Miss Gorrell said she understood film crew staff had been looking for other local hotels to house the rest of the crew for their trip.

"It's nice they have chosen to stay at Moonfleet and it's going to be a great for the other guests.

"Unless anybody is booked here under a pseudonym, they are mostly production staff staying here but also Harry Potter's stunt double and the director."

Henry Ford, vice chairman of Chesil Bank Parish Council, said: "I think children here will be thrilled to bits to hear about this."

He added: "There are so many places they could film around here and I think this says what a splendid location it is here."

A film spokesman stressed that no stars were going to be at Abbotsbury and discouraged people from going along to watch.