A large section of one of the sunken gardens’ walls in Douglas has collapsed after being hit by huge waves.

Windows at the Sea Terminal car park barrier on the Victoria Pier side were also blown out by a combination of strong winds and heavy seas, leading to the earlier closure of the site.

An amber weather warning for coastal overtopping was in place from 11am until 3.30pm on Thursday. It was the third such warning issued this week.

A further yellow weather warning has been issued for Friday, running from midnight until 4pm, with more strong winds and high tides forecast. A separate yellow warning for snow on the hills is also in place until 9am on Friday.

A spokesman for Douglas City Council confirmed the damage to the wall on Loch Promenade.

He said: ‘The wall that has come down is the Marine Garden wall. Local authority staff were on site earlier and closed the gardens until the weather eases. The wall will now have to be rebuilt in due course.’

The council has also closed the Bottleneck car park after vehicles were engulfed by waves over recent days.

The spokesman said: ‘The Bottleneck car park will be closed from Thursday evening through to Saturday morning due to the forecast wind direction changing overnight, creating a greater potential for coastal storm surges into the car park.

‘We regret any inconvenience caused, but our priority is to protect vehicles and drivers from potential injury during this period. Please do not use the Bottleneck car park until the weather improves on Saturday morning.’

Elsewhere, a number of promenades around the Island were closed for a time due to high waves and coastal overtopping.

Queen’s Promenade and Mooragh Promenade in Ramsey were closed to vehicles, while Laxey Promenade was also shut to traffic on safety grounds.

In Douglas, Loch Promenade was closed to vehicles for a short period between the Sea Terminal roundabout and the Church Road and Marina junction.