The fairy houses which made headlines around the world will be maintained, the Department for Enterprise has confirmed.

The houses, which appeared, as if by magic, late last year were made by globally renowned artists Anonymouse MMX.

We reported earlier this month that after only a few months’ exposure to the Manx elements, the house at the top of Bradda Head in Port Erin was looking worse for wear with damage to its roof and exterior.

Sections of its metal-effect roof have been torn off in the gales, leaving the wood exposed beneath. And its railings have been left twisted and broken.

The department has now announced that it will maintain them.

Laura Dalton, marketing manager of Visit Isle of Man said: ’As a result of the overwhelming support from those who have visited or have expressed an interest in doing so when they visit, Visit Isle of Man are working on maintenance plans to ensure they remain in good condition.

’This will include the removal of the cooper foil roof slats from the house at Bradda Head, which are being severely impacted by the rain, and repainting the wooden roof underneath in a similar style to increase the longevity of the building and keep maintenance costs to a minimum, whilst also ensuring the overall design is not affected.’

It is not known if the fairies will be contributing to the costs of repairs.

When the houses first appeared, the story went around the globe with coverage stretching from Singapore and Australia to being covered by CNN in the United States with analysis suggesting the story was seen by six million people worldwide.

The enchanting houses alsofeature as part of easyJet’s in flight publication, Traveller magazine, which has the potential of being seen by a further four and a half million people.

The airline featured a full page article on the ’mysterious little houses’ and further promoted the island’s travel links with the UK through its five flight routes.

The houses were revealed to be a piece of ’ambush marketing’ by the DfE at a cost of £26,000.

Laura said: ’The artist fee of £11,079 formed part of the wider project costs, which included travel and accommodation to and on island, photography and management fees, subsistence expenses as well as a fee for the production of a trail map which will be produced in the first quarter of this year.’

As well as the house on Bradda Head, the fairies have set up home in the north of the island too with two houses at Dhoon Glen and another by the river in Ballaglass Glen.

Creator Anonymouse, a Swedish art collective, previously said: ’Although we usually feel more comfortable around mice, when we discovered that the Isle of Man is one of the few places in the world where, if you look in the right places, fairies may still be found, we thought it would be fun to create some houses for their local mini inhabitants.’