Isle of Man TT public order arrests up due to 'bad weather'

Thousands of TT fans gathered in Douglas town centre during the festival

Race cancellations and "adverse weather" led to a 100% increase year-on-year in public order arrests during the TT festival, Manx police have said.

Between 25 May and 9 June, 24 public order arrests were made, up from 12 from the number in 2018.

A force spokesman said the weather had "contributed to busier town centres and the number of drink-related arrests".

He said the amount also went up because officers had "focused on identifying potential issues at an early stage".

Drug arrests also saw a spike during the period, rising by 53% year-on-year from 17 to 26, while the number of people entering closed roads fell from nine to six.

They included a TT fan from Vanuatu, who was fined £1,500 for crossing the road during a practice session.

Overall, the number of arrests made rose to 148, up from 126.

Six people were caught entering closed roads during the 2019 event

The force spokesman also said traffic collisions during the festival were down by 21%, falling from 78 to 62, and the number of serious crashes had also dropped, though there were two fatal accidents.

He said the one-way system on the Mountain Road, along with temporary speed limits and "high visibility policing", had played an "important part in road safety" during the fortnight.