The blame over the Laxey flood shows no sign of letting up a week after water burst through a wall and swamped houses on Glen Road.

Last Tuesday, heavy rains led to homes and businesses along the Laxey river being flooded with most of the blame falling on a weir which blocked trees flowing down the river and created a dam.

Since the flood, the weir which created the dam has been removed, but why it was left to create the blockage has been questioned, with some saying that Manx National Heritage had blocked its removal.

Dr Alex Allinson, chairman of Manx Utilities, which had contracted out the work on the upper part of the river where a hole was knocked through the wall to allow a digger access to the river, told Manx Radio last week that MNH had been approached about its removal in the past.

The Ramsey MHK said: ’In the past Manx Utilities has approached Manx National Heritage about getting rid of that [weir].

’It’s a heritage site, people like the views, however if you go down there today, you will see that weir caused the massive accumulation of trees. It caused the dam that then caused the water to build up and burst the banks further up, we need to do some work to attenuate it.’

Dr Allinson later told the Examiner that the Manx Utilities board had discussed the issue of Laxey flooding. He also confirmed that the removal of the weir had been discussed in the past and it was ’suggested’ that MNH would oppose it being removed.

And he said he was open to discussions with MNH about the weir.

MNH has issued a statement in which it denied both that it had been contacted about the weir and that it had ever objected to a weir being removed from Laxey river.

Its statement said: ’To set the record straight, Manx National Heritage would like to confirm that we were invited by Manx Utilities to work with the authority and Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture in the design of the new weir just below the junction of the Glen Roy and Laxey rivers, on account of its location in the Conservation Area and its potential historical interest.

’At no stage of the process were we consulted on the removal of the former MER weir further downstream, the raised penstock of which caused the build up of fallen trees and debris on Tuesday.

’Contrary to comment and speculation, we have not objected to the removal of any of the weirs in the glen, nor did we object to the planning application for the current works.’

Manx National Heritage added that the weir, formerly a power unit for the Manx Electric Railway, ’is not in our ownership nor was it ever in our power to refuse its removal’.

Last Tuesday, heavy rains led to homes and businesses along the Laxey river being flooded with most of the blame falling on a weir which blocked trees flowing down the river and created a dam.

Since the flood, the weir which created the dam has been removed, but why it was left to create the blockage has been questioned, with some saying that Manx National Heritage had blocked its removal.