Investigations are being made into reopening a water fountain in Castletown.

This water fountain, between the Sidings and Viking pubs, was erected in 1906 by the British Women’s Temperance Society in an effort ’to keep visitors out of the adjacent hostelries’ ... but has since fallen into disuse, according to commissioners’ clerk Hugo Mackenzie.

It is coincidental their investigations are when there was publicity last week about a scheme by Water UK for shops, cafes and businesses to offer free water refill points in every major city and town in England to reduce the use of plastic water bottles.

Commissioners’ chairman Colin Leather said: ’We’ve been thinking about it for some time, it’s in the context of reviewing the town’s assets and getting the town back to life.’