Councillors have agreed that Hospice Isle of Man is to pay half the clean up costs from its carnival colour run fundraiser.

The charity was taken by surprise last year after a breakdown in communication left them with an unexpected clean-up bill.

Reaffirming last year’s decision, Councillor Ian Clague said: ’I agree that they should pay to clean up if they are holding an event on the back of the carnival.’

Councillor Karen Angela went further. ’I’m sorry but really they should pay it all, not the rates payers,’ she said.

This year’s colour run will start at the Castle Mona Arcade and end at the Bottleneck car park. There will be seven colour stations along the route where spectators can buy multi-coloured powder paint to hurl at the passing runners.

A suggestion to stage the colour run after the main parade, rather than before it, was not favoured by Hospice or councillors.

Councillor Ritchie McNicholl said he favoured starting the run lower down the promenade by the Castle Mona, to reduce the waiting time for it to go by.

’Many are not athletic,’ he said.

Councillor Angela suggested the distance was too great for children taking part in the carnival, who were too tired by the half way point.

Councillor Claire Wells thought running the whole parade over a shorter distance would make it more ’atmospheric’.

But Councillor Stephen Pitts, chairman of the council’s Regeneration and Community Committee said the current route, starting from the old Summerland site, was already shorter than previously, when it started on King Edward Road by White City.

’So we have already shortened it. Summerhill is the best point to start out from,’ he said.

The carnival is on July 16.