Great Laxey Wheel needs 'a little rain' to turn again after reopening

The Laxey Wheel will not be turning for the "first few days or so of opening", MNH said

The world's largest working water wheel will turn again once there has been "a little rain", a heritage body has said.

The 72ft (22m) diameter Great Laxey Wheel, which was built in 1854, was stopped in August 2019 after structural damage to a timber rod was found.

The popular site reopened on Thursday, after Covid-19 restrictions were lifted, but the wheel remained still.

Manx National Heritage (MNH) said "safety checks" and some rainfall were needed before it could turn again.

MNH's Gaynor Haxby said visitors would be able to climb the Victorian wheel, which was originally used in mining, but work to enable the structure to turn was still ongoing.

She added that it would turn again once "safety checks and tests" had been completed and "we get a little rain".

The gardens at Rushen Abbey have been reopened to the public

Alongside the wheel, Rushen Abbey in Ballasalla also reopened on Thursday, while Peel Castle, which partially opened with strict social distancing measures on 12 June, reopened without any restrictions.

All three sites will open with reduced hours on four days a week.

All of the sites run by MNH were closed on 20 March as a result of the coronavirus outbreak and others, including the Manx Museum and the House of Manannan, remain closed.

The island achieved "local elimination" of the virus on Wednesday, with no new cases recorded for 28 days.

Public access to unmanned ancient monuments in the Manx countryside has been maintained throughout the lockdown period.