Beach Road at Gansey to close for almost a month for sewer overflow upgrade

Beach Road at Gansey, near Port St Mary, will be closed to through traffic for almost a month from 2 November while Manx Utilities upgrades a combined sewer overflow beside the coastal footpath.

The utility said the full closure, near Gansey Pottery, will run until 30 November. It said the closure is needed because of the depth of the excavation, the position of the existing chamber and the safety requirements that come with both.

The work is part of Manx Utilities’ long-term programme to bring overflow infrastructure across the island up to modern standards.

According to Manx Utilities, wastewater from the area normally flows through the sewer network to Gansey Pump Station and then on to Meary Veg Wastewater Treatment Works. In exceptionally heavy rain, however, flows can exceed what the network can carry.

Combined sewer overflows act as a controlled relief point at those times. The utility said they help prevent wastewater backing up the system and flooding homes, businesses and roads. The Gansey overflow operates under a discharge licence from the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture.

The chamber will be made larger so that it can hold new screening and telemetry equipment.

Manx Utilities said the screen will significantly cut the amount of solids and sewage rag released during overflow events. The telemetry will record how often the overflow operates and how long each discharge lasts. The utility said this will inform future investment and improve environmental reporting.

Tim Woakes, Manx Utilities’ executive director for wastewater, said: “These improvements will help us better understand how the drainage network performs during storm events while reducing the environmental impact of overflow discharges.”

He said the scheme is part of a wider strategy for the island’s overflows, intended to “ensure they meet modern operational and monitoring standards”.

Manx Utilities has set out two stages:

• Stage 1, 2 to 30 November 2026: full closure of Beach Road to through traffic near Gansey Pottery.
• Stage 2, from the reopening until February 2027: remaining work continues inside the site compound, with traffic management on the road.

Pedestrian access will be kept open for the whole project, the utility said. Further details of both stages are published on Causeway, a third-party site.

Manx Utilities thanked residents and road users in advance for their patience.