The ambulance service asked for help from Hogg Motorsport, which provided three rescue ambulances on ’what was turning into a busy night’ at the weekend.

The Hogg Motorsport Association is part of the Rob Vine Fund and was founded in memory of TT racer Phil Hogg, who died during a 1989 TT practice.

The Hogg ambulances are usually active during more than 130 motorsport events each year, both in the island and the UK.

However, director Stuart Greaves said that since the start of the pandemic they have been ’part of the island’s emergency Covid-19 response’ and keep ambulances and crews available to assist the main ambulance service whenever needed - having operated during the last lockdown as well.

One incident which took place on Sunday - to which the police, coastguard and paramedics were called - included attending to a young man who had fallen over a cliff in the area of Bradda Head, before being flown by helicopter to Noble’s Hospital.

A government spokesperson said: ’The ambulance service received a number of emergency calls within a short space of time, including protracted ’off road’ events which required additional resource to manage.

’The ambulance service works in partnership with the volunteer ambulance services and is grateful for their assistance when these incidents were being dealt with, to team up with our paramedics to provide increased cover during the busy period.

’Hogg Motorsport and St John Ambulance both form part of the existing risk escalation planning and response to any major incident that might occur’.

The service also noted there was ’no real difference’ so far in figures for ambulance activity between this year and the last.