Flood aid fund set up to help Laxey residents on Isle of Man

Laxey river burst its banks on Tuesday morning and flooded several properties nearby

A hardship fund has been set up on the Isle of Man to help people affected by the recent floods in Laxey.

The village was cut off when the river burst its banks on Tuesday leaving homes under 6ft (1.8m) of water.

Onchan Rotary Club said the initial response, which included a £25,000 donation from a local firm, had been "encouraging".

"We will try to get the money to the people who need it most first," said fund organiser Nigel Dobson.

"Money doesn't solve all the problems but it can help in the short term to make life a little bit easier," he added.

Work to clear debris from the river began on Wednesday

Manx Utilities chairman Alex Allinson cited a "combination of factors" for the incident earlier this week.

On Wednesday, several tonnes of wood, silt and gravel were removed from the river and holes in the adjacent wall were repaired.

It is the second time the Manx village has been hit by flooding after a bridge over the river collapsed in 2015 following heavy rain.

Mr Dobson, who is chair of Garff commissioners, asked the club to raise the funds as current laws prevent the authority from doing so.

He said that he hopes the money can start helping those affected by Monday.