Manx roads reopen after closure due to snow

The Beinn-Y-Phott road had been closed after snow drifted onto sections of the carriageway

A road connecting the west of the Isle of Man to the A18 Mountain Road has reopened after compacted snow was cleared, the infrastructure department has said.

The Beinn-Y-Phott road on Snaefell had been closed between Brandywell Corner and Brandywell Cottage since Thursday morning.

Snowfall on the island's higher roads last week had continued to "present safety challenges for two-way traffic", a spokesman for the department said.

The temporary closure order, issued until until 16:30 GMT on Wednesday, was lifted on Tuesday afternoon.

The infrastructure department previously said the Beinn-Y-Phott road had areas with "significant amounts of compacted drifted snow" reducing the carriageway width "on bends with limited visibility" in some cases.

The safety concerns had been an issue after dark in particular as the road was "narrow and unlit", the spokesman said.

A temporary closure order had been put in place until Wednesday afternoon

Tholt-Y-Will, which also adjoins the Mountain Road, has also been reopened after deposits of snow were removed.

The road had been clear, but further work was needed after wet weather had seen "snow slip off adjacent banks onto the carriageway", the department spokesman said.

The Mountain Road itself reopened on Friday evening following "extensive and extended snow ploughing and salt treatment", the department previously said.