WHILE some people will no-doubt want to enjoy walking and sledging in the snow this weekend, members of the public are encouraged to take extreme caution in areas of deep snow.
The warning came from the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture, which said that the help of members of the public has been ‘invaluable in finding and reaching livestock and the response from the public at this very difficult time has been awe-inspiring and is hugely appreciated by farmers.
‘However, as the snow continues to slowly melt, it is important to be aware that there are life-threatening hazards in some areas and extreme caution is advised. Indeed, some near misses have further highlighted the very serious dangers in some parts of our snow covered hills.’
Minister for DEFA, Phil Gawne MHK, said: ‘Deep snow-filled gullies have been eroded underneath by streams, leaving large voids likely to collapse. In addition some large steep drifts are becoming unstable and there is a risk of sudden collapse. Hidden hazards, such as machinery and barbed wire, may be present. The scale of these risks is dramatically greater than we are used to and even those who know the Manx hills well are unlikely to have experienced this scale of danger.’
Meanwhile, buses on routes 5 and 6 between Douglas and Peel are still not serving the stop opposite Peel town hall until at least Sunday. The pick up point in Peel is in Albany Road.
As of today (Good Friday) the service to Cronk-y-Voddy is still suspended as is service 7.
Service 4 to Peel via Foxdale is running again, but this service is not operating on Good Friday, Sunday or Easter Monday.