Isle of Man regional sewage strategy to cost an extra £16m

Raw sewage is currently pumped out into Peel Bay

Completing the Isle of Man's regional sewage treatment strategy will cost £16.9m more than originally thought, Manx Utilities (MU) has revealed.

While Tynwald approved £23.5m for the project in March 2019, the cost of completing it is now expected to be more than £40m.

MU said the rise was due to changes to plans for treatment plants for Laxey, Baldrine and Peel.

Previously proposed sites for the works were scrapped after local opposition.

The money would allow for a treatment plant for Laxey and Baldrine to be built

Additional money was now needed to buy more land to house the treatment plants.

Higher than predicted inflation is also having an impact on the cost of the project, MU said.

The aim of the strategy is to stop raw sewage being pumped into the sea.

About £750,000 of the extra cash will be used to make changes to the island's main waste water treatment plant, Meary Veg.

This will allow it to receive sludge from the proposed new regional sewage treatment works.

The current preferred sites for those new facilities to service Laxey, Baldrine and Peel have not been revealed.

Politicians will be asked to support the additional funds for the project in Tynwald next month.