Snow and gales cause Isle of Man travel disruption

The evening crossing from Douglas to Heysham, and it's return, have been cancelled

Snow and gale force winds have caused travel disruption on the Isle of Man.

The evening sailing of the Manxman ferry to Heysham and its overnight return have both been cancelled due to the conditions, the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company said.

The A18 Mountain Road, which is the main route between the capital, Douglas, and the north of the island, was closed due to hazardous conditions, police said.

An amber weather warning for gales, and heavy snow on ground above 800ft (244m) had been put in place until 23:00 GMT.

A yellow warning for high waves was alos pu in place until 01:00 on Friday.

Ronaldsway Met Office said gusts of up to 45mph (72km/h) were likely to cause waves and debris to wash onto exposed roads and promenades for two hours each side of high tide at 22:40.

The A18 Mountain Road and its adjoining roads have been closed

The Isle of Man Constabulary said the A18 and the adjoining Tholt-Y-Will and Beinn-Y-Phott Roads had all been closed "due to hazardous conditions at the location making it unsafe to use".

The Sloc Road and the Dalby Road in Patrick from Dalby Village to the Roundtable were also closed for a time due to poor driving conditions, but had been reopened, the Department of Infrastructure has confirmed.

The warning for snow and sleet had originally been for ground over 500ft (154m).

The Manx government said schools had been kept open because the temperatures were milder than originally expected and most of the island would only experience rain and sleet.

But it urged motorists to "drive to the conditions" due to potential "disruption to travel for routes on higher ground".