Extreme weather causes traffic chaos

Bridge collapses as bus driven over

Torrential rain has brought havoc to the Island this evening,  leaving many roads flooded or impassable.

Emergency services, DoI teams and Civil Defence have been inundated with calls - and the advice to the public is don't drive unless you have to.

The Mountain Road is shut between Ramsey and Creg ny Baa due to a landslip on the Mountain Mile, and other key arterial routes are under up to a foot of water.

Laxey bridge on Glen Road collapsed while a school bus was on it, the vehicle toppling into the river below. Children on the bus escaped unharmed.

Police say the main Douglas to Peel road is passable only with extreme care. Access to the south of the Island is by the New Castletown Road only, the road to Port Erin via Ballabeg and Colby is closed due to flooding.

Long rush-hour queues built up as workers headed home, with prolonged hold-ups by the Nunnery outside Douglas, on Peel Road, between Tromode and Union Mills, in Crosby and Ballasalla. 

If you're heading north, the coast road through Laxey is open, but lower Laxey routes are closed.

Around the Island, drains have been overpowered by the sheer volume of water, while streams, rivers, ponds and lakes have overflowed, sending water cascading onto streets.

Run-off from fields has knocked through stone walls, and debris has been strewn across carriageways.

Police advise against any travel until conditions improve.

A number of vehicles have been abandonned and there are fears drivers will become stranded in floods they cannot drive through. 

Sergeant Gavin Callow is urging caution in extremely hazardous conditions: