Isle of Man schools closed amid fears of heavy snowfall

This snowy scene was captured in Foxdale

All schools on the Isle of Man have been closed due to forecast heavy snow.

An amber weather warning for "persistent" snowfall is in place until 06:00 GMT on Friday.

The A18 Mountain Road along with the adjoining Tholt Y Will and Beinney Phott roads have been closed due to ice.

Forecast gales over the Irish Sea also led to the cancellation of Thursday's afternoon sailings of the Ben-my-Chree between Douglas and Heysham.

The evening and overnight ferry sailings have also been cancelled by the Isle of Man Steam Packet.

Manx Care cancelled the majority of its scheduled appointments on Thursday afternoon as a result of the inclement weather, with further disruption set to take place on Friday.

A spokeswoman for the health care provider said Friday Morning's scheduled face-to-face outpatient, maternity and endoscopy appointments cancelled.

Friday afternoon's appointments were expected to go ahead as planned, she added.

The government had urged people to work from home and avoid travelling on the island's roads if possible.

Public counters, the National Sports Centre and the Villa Marina and Gaiety Theatre complex in Douglas and Manx National Heritage sites were all closed at midday.

Manx Utilities said its offices had also closed at that time to allow staff to deal with any faults arising as a result of the snowfall.

The A18 Mountain Road remains closed due to icy conditions

Adrian Cowin from the Ronaldsway Met Office said residents could expect several centimetres of snow overnight, even on "lower levels" of the island.

The "legacy of that snow cover" could cause issues in the coming days as it turns into ice, he added.

Dan Davies from the Department of Home Affairs, which has responsibility for emergency planning, said the decision on Wednesday evening to close schools was made using all of the available information.

"It's huge decision, it's a big impact, but ultimately our primary concern is keeping people safe and making sure we can keep essential services running," he added.

An announcement on whether schools will reopen will be made on Friday morning.