People are quitting the UK to come and live in the island because they want to ’escape Brexit’ claims an estate agency boss.

Lorna Fairclough, managing director of Property Wise, said all the uncertainty over Britain’s exit from the European Union has spurred some householders to consider looking elsewhere to live.

She added that fear of crime in the UK was also encouraging people to look at moving to live in the island where they could enjoy a better quality of life.

Other estate agents said the island’s lifestyle and low crime rates were among the reasons for householders looking to move.

Mrs Fairclough told Business News there were ’cash buyers who are afraid of the political situation in the UK’ and of people who ’are trying to escape Brexit.’

She added: ’We have always had people come to live here for a better quality of life and the lifestyle but certainly Brexit is there in the mix now as well.’

She added that she was aware also of people who have roots of some kind with the island, perhaps through having older relatives here, and were keen to come here to live.

’It would be the icing on the cake for them to come and live here.

’They know we have our own government here and while they know the island is not completely immune from the political situation involving Brexit they feel that there is not the same level of uncertainty as there is in the UK. I would say that this has become more noticeable in the last six months with all that has been going on.

’And who knows what might happen in the months to come?’

Mrs Fairclough was speaking as Property Wise relocated its Port Erin office to the former bike shop premises in Church Road at the weekend.

She said the company, which will be nine years old next February, is going from strength to strength and so far in 2019 has enjoyed a ’brilliant year.’

There are around 15 staff working with the business.

Mrs Fairclough said she is also a firm believer in bricks and mortar estate agents offices and said the new Port Erin office is a great location.

Property Wise previously had a branch at the Balmoral Buildings, Promenade, for about four years but decided to move round the corner to a corner spot.

She said: ’I think people enjoy being able to pop in and meet members of the team.’

Graham Wilson, director of Manxmove agreed that there had been people who had moved or were planning to move because they were ’fed up’ with Brexit.

But he stressed that the vast majority of clients are locals from the island.

Shane Magee, chairman of Chrystals said he was aware in the last couple of months of professional people ’who are fed up with the daily grind of what is going on in the UK.’

But he said that could include other issues as well as Brexit, such as crime and security.

David Creane, chairman of Cowley Groves, said he believed people coming to live in the island purely because of Brexit was ’absolutely zero.’

But he added that the island’s low crime rate was attractive to people from the north west of England.

He said he had clients who were tired of crime, having been burgled up to 15 times and he spoke of people who were sick of having their cars stolen in the UK.

Tim Groves, residential director at Black Grace Cowley said there were multiple reasons why people would consider making the ’sea change’ decision to up sticks and leave the UK to come and live in the ’fabulous’ Isle of Man. And he said it might not just be political and economic uncertainty.