The Great Laxey Wheel, has temporarily stopped turning after suffering a failure of one of the rods connecting the wheel with the T-rocker earlier this week.

Manx National Heritage said the damage is a result of age and weathering of timbers in the rod duct.

The rotational power generated by the movement of the wheel drove the rod, which is connected to a T-rocker at the top of the mine’s Engine shaft. The T-rocker changes the horizontal movement of the rod to the vertical movement of the pump rod in the mine shaft.

This transfer of force is what made the Laxey Wheel so effective in pumping the water from the shaft.

Director of MNH Edmund Southworth, said: ’Engineers will now undertake a detailed assessment of the work required to undertake repairs, which we already know will be a complex and financially demanding task.

’Initial indications are that sourcing and shaping replacement timber will be relatively straightforward, but this will be complicated by replacing large sections of timber and metal framework on the rod duct, which are exceptionally difficult to access.’

The latest stoppage is similar to the cause behind the wheel being stopped last year, however it has occurred on a different part of the structure.