Villagers 'still anxious of storms' a decade on

Residents in a village in the east of the Isle of Man remain anxious of storms a decade after a major flood washed away part of a bridge, leaving a double-decker bus in a river, a politician for the area has said.

Garff MHK Andrew Smith has lived on Glen Road in the eastern village of Laxey for almost 40 years, and has seen it hit by severe flooding three times in the last 20.

When Storm Desmond hit the Isle of Man on 3 December 2015, heavy rain caused a landslide and flooded a number of roads and buildings, including causing extensive damage to the National Sports Centre in Douglas.

But it was the collapse of a 200-year-old bridge that saw the bus left partially submerged in Laxey river that dominated Manx headlines at the time.

The driver of the bus managed to escape before it fell into the water, with no passengers on board.

Smith said following that major storm in 2015 an online "flood hub" had been established for people to report issues and get information, and a group of local volunteers in the village had come together to from an action group.

He said that while a number of positive changes had been made, there was "still some anxiety out there when a major storm is forecast".

But the action group was there to "respond quickly", he said, and volunteers were "always on call" to offer comfort to those residents with advice or helping with sandbags.

"If there's any anxiety there then we make sure we're there to offer assistance," he said.

In 2019, Laxey was hit again by flooding that led to a major incident being declared, leaving some residents temporarily trapped and causing severe damage to many homes along Glen Road.

Smith conceded the village was prone to flash flooding "because of its position beneath Snaefell".

But he said the 2015 floods were "critical" to a number of improvements that have been made over the past decade.

"We have to recognise that there are increased weather patterns that cross the island now," Smith said, adding that there was "a need for ongoing maintenance".

He said he was "thinking about it all the time" and the flood action group was "continually checking what we'd class as pinch points".

Over the past decade, he said, the infrastructure department had been "much more active in addressing flooding issues".

The bridge was rebuilt and a wall was constructed lining the river where it was previously exposed.

Smith said the events in 2015 highlighted the significant need for "ongoing maintenance", especially with traditional infrastructure.

"There was a major learning curve because we talk about maintenance, which was fundamental really," he said.

Although there would still be inevitable anxiety in the area ahead of bad weather, the volunteers would continue "to do everything we can to help so we keep people and property as safe as we can", he added.

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