The chairman of Manx Utilities has apologised to Laxey residents after the floods which tore through the lower part of the village last week.

Dr Alex Allinson said he apologised for the damage, but also the hurt and the fear people in the village now live with as a result of the flooding.

He told the over 175 residents who gathered last night to discuss the flooding that the MUA and contractors took actions ’based on the information we had a the time’.

Dr Allinson added: ’But I understand that caused a lot of anger and a lot of hurt to people locally and I again I apologise for that as well.’

And he apologised for the Manx Radio interview carried out on the morning after the flood where he said that Manx National Heritage had objected to the removal of a weir.

Since then MNH has said it hadn’t been asked about the weir and had ’no power’ to object to its removal.

Dr Allinson said he spoke to the radio at the earliest opportunity following the floods and did so ’with the information available’.

He went on to outline the next steps including clearing river banks, the investigation into the flooding and the government working with insurers to make sure people can protect themselves financially against flooding in the future.

One woman who spoke during the meeting said that Dr Allinson has ’given exactly the talk we wanted to hear’.

She asked Dr Allinson ’why have you done nothing since 2015’? ’Why have you all listened to civil servants when the residents have told you what is going on?’

The woman told Dr Allinson ’you’re one of the good guys’ but she warned him and government that at the minute ’you’re running’.

She added: ’Well done for trying, but you’re not out of it yet.’

Dr Allinson said he ’wanted to be honest rather than spin events’ and to ’take responsibility’.

He later told residents that ’we have lost your trust and we need to rebuild it’.