Storm damage closes Laxey promenade as DOI stands ready to shut coastal roads

The Department of Infrastructure says staff will close routes if conditions worsen around high tide, while the Manannan's Liverpool sailings have been cancelled.

Laxey · LaksaaTue 27 Oct, 10:11Updated Tue 27 Oct, 14:102 min read

By Manx Wire Newsroom

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Laxey promenade has been closed because of storm damage, 3FM reported on Tuesday morning (27 October), as the Department of Infrastructure (DOI) said it was prepared to shut other coastal roads around high tide.

3FM did not give further details of the Laxey closure. The northern part of Laxey promenade was among the stretches of coast where forecasters expected debris today.

According to 3FM, the DOI said on social media that staff would be available to close roads if needed, and that it would keep watch on conditions around high tide at:

Ramsey, Castletown and Douglas promenades
Shore Road, Peel
Shore Road, Rushen

The department said that if the weather got worse, staff would close routes until conditions eased. Harbour flood defences in Ramsey and Castletown remain in place, according to 3FM and BBC News Isle of Man.

The BBC reported that DOI road sweepers were already clearing debris “thrown up by last night’s overtopping”. It said the department expected further work at the same spots later in the day.

High tide is due at about 11:42, according to the Met Office as reported by Isle of Man Today. 3FM put it at around 11:30.

An amber warning for coastal overtopping runs from 10:30 to 13:30, the BBC said. Forecasters at the Met Office at Ronaldsway said Shore Road, Castletown promenade and Fenella Beach were most likely to have debris washed on to them. They said the northern ends of the promenades in Peel, Douglas and Laxey were also at some risk.

A separate yellow warning covers tidal flooding in Ramsey between 11:00 and midday. The BBC said forecasters expected a “large high tide” that could bring minor flooding to a small number of low-lying properties. Those properties are near the Riverside Industrial Estate and beside the River Sulby on Gardener’s Lane.

Isle of Man Today reported that the Met Office expects strong winds to push more debris ashore.

The Steam Packet has cancelled today’s Manannan sailings between Douglas and Liverpool, Isle of Man Today reported, with gale force eight winds expected later. According to the BBC, the catamaran’s return journey to the island has also been cancelled because of the forecast.

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