'Essential' safety works at reservoirs complete

Safety improvement work at two Isle of Man reservoirs has been completed.

Manx Utilities (MU) said it had carried out "essential" works at both the Cringle and Clypse facilities, respectively costing £1.2m and £500,000.

The valve replacement project at Clypse Reservoir was required after inspections discovered that old parts had failed.

The facility, situated above Onchan, is part of the main water supply chain for the east of the island.

The reservoir, which had to be drained to allow the project to go ahead, will be refilled gradually over the next eight weeks.

MU said ground maintenance work would be carried out at the site, including the removal of gorse and willow to protect the reservoir banks from damage.

Fish will be reintroduced once water levels have been stabilised.

The government-owned utilities provider said major works to refurbish the spillway at Cringle Reservoir had also been successfully completed, and the facility had overspilled for the first time since February on 2 December.

MU said upgrading 80-year-old masonry in the south of the island would safeguard properties from downstream flooding along the Silverburn River to Castletown Harbour.

The area would remain fenced off temporarily to allow for grass regrowth and for "minor weather-dependent finishing touches to be carried out safely".

MU said the water would be kept at about 1m (3.3 ft) below the top water level as a safety measure until those works had been completed.

The facility, which is not part of the island's public water supply, is used for leisure activities including fishing.

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