An emergency response exercise will take place at Isle of Man Energy's gas sphere site next to Douglas Harbour this week.

The planned exercise is scheduled to begin at 2pm on Thursday, July 23, and is expected to last for around 90 minutes.

According to Isle of Man Energy, the exercise has been organised in partnership with the island's emergency services as part of its ongoing programme to test emergency procedures and ensure staff are prepared to respond safely in the event of an incident.

Members of the public may notice emergency service personnel and vehicles in the area while the exercise is underway. However, the company has stressed that it is a planned training exercise and that there is no risk to the public.

The scenario has been designed to test the site's emergency systems as well as the coordination between different agencies during a simulated incident.

The exercise will involve Isle of Man Energy personnel working alongside the Isle of Man Fire and Rescue Service, Ambulance Service, Civil Defence, Coastguard, Health and Safety at Work Inspectorate and, potentially, the Isle of Man Constabulary.

Emergency vehicles taking part will not be using blue lights or sirens, and only minimal disruption is expected in the surrounding area during the exercise.

Aidan Baglow, Isle of Man Energy managing director, said: ‘Safety is our highest priority and regular exercises such as this form an important part to ensure our teams and partner agencies are fully prepared to respond effectively should a real incident ever occur.

‘This provides an opportunity to test our emergency procedures in a realistic environment, strengthens our already close working relationships with the emergency services and identifies any opportunities for continual improvement.

‘We would like to thank our emergency service partners for their support and cooperation.’