People in the Isle of Man are falling foul of new rules introduced when Britain left the European Union.

There has been a sharp rise in the number of parcels of goods detained.

From January 1, when the UK left the European Union, goods brought or sent to the island from outside the UK are subject to new import prohibitions, restrictions and licensing.

So far this year 50 packages have been seized by Customs and Excise compared to only 12 in the previous year.

While some of these items had previously been permitted from Europe, people should be reminded to check import restrictions before making purchases.

The majority of the detained packages contained products of animal origin (such as sausages and dried vacuum packed meats), plant materials (such as garden flowers, seed potatoes and cannabis seeds) or veterinary medicines which should only be purchased in island or from UK suppliers.

The Isle of Man maintains import controls on plants (including seeds and cuttings, with relevant plant passport or phytosanitary certificates), and animals (including fish, shellfish, animal derived products and food stuffs) as well as explosives, firearms, medicines and tobacco.

Geoffrey Boot MHK, Minister for Environment, Food and Agriculture, said: ’These controlled items shouldn’t be sent through the post or brought back in luggage as they may be detained and subsequently destroyed.

’These protections are in place to ensure the product standards of safety and quality control meet necessary requirements, and that any organic matter arriving on the island will not bring pests or diseases.’

If you are sent items that are detained the government could seek to recover the costs of their disposal.