Isle of Man Coastguard says white foam spotted off the Manx coast is not believed to be pollution.

The Coastguard’s Marine Operations Centre received several reports of streaks of white foam along parts of the island's east coast today (Saturday).

But in a statement posted on its Facebook page, it reassured the public that this is likely to be a natural phenomenon.

It said: ‘We believe that this is most likely the result of a bloom of phytoplankton and the wind direction is causing it to concentrate around the east coast.

‘This is a naturally occurring phenomenon and is not believed to be pollution.

‘We would like to reassure the public that there is currently no indication of any pollution incident.

‘Thank you to those who have reported their observations. We will continue to monitor the situation.’