Northern tip closes re-use shed due to misuse

A facility to allow people to re-use unwanted items at a tip in the north of the Isle of Man has been closed "for the foreseeable future", the operators have confirmed.

The re-use shed at the Northern Civic Amenity Site had been closed "with immediate effect" as it was "not being used for its intended purpose".

The board behind the facility said people had been staying longer in the area than recommended and visiting multiple times a day, which caused a "bottleneck".

Board chairman Karl Brew said it had become "increasingly harder" for staff to monitor the area, so with the "current staffing and uncertainty it was wise to close at this time ".

He added that the re-use shed "really needs a rethink to get the best from it".

A joint facility used by residents of the local authorities in Andreas, Ballaugh, Lezayre, the Maughold ward of Garff, Jurby and Ramsey - and until recently Bride - took over the running of the site from the Department of Infrastructure (DOI) in 2017.

Following Bride Commissioners' withdrawal from contributing to the facility's running costs, the northern local authority-run site made a decision to terminate its lease with the Department of Infrastructure and recently stripped back its opening hours.

Thanking members of the public for their patience "while we try and navigate the issues we are currently experiencing", the statement said an update on the site's opening days would be made soon.

Additional reporting by Emma Draper, Local Democracy Reporter.

Why not follow BBC Isle of Man on Facebook and X? You can also send story ideas to [email protected]