Winds force Isle of Man air and ferry cancellations
Severe gales are being forecast for coastal areas Continue reading the main story
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More severe gales for the island
Flights and ferry crossings have been cancelled to and from the Isle of Man due to windy weather conditions.
The Met Office said winds could reach 80mph by mid-afternoon, becoming storm force through the night.
Manx2 has cancelled all flights from 1500 GMT but said it had contacted passengers and tried to book them on earlier flights where possible.
The Isle of Man Steam Packet Company has cancelled all crossings between Douglas and Heysham from 0800 GMT.
Noel Hayes, Managing Director of Manx2, said winds were above safe operating limits and the company had to put customer safety first.
Gale force winds
The airline operates flights between Douglas and Blackpool, Belfast, Leeds Bradford, Newcastle and Gloucester.
It said an extra flight would be scheduled to Gloucester on Friday to deal with any backlog of passengers.
The Steam Packet Company, which also operates ferries to Liverpool, Dublin and Belfast, said sailings were cancelled on Thursday and the 0215 GMT Heysham to Douglas service would also be cancelled on Friday.
Gale force winds are being forecast for Thursday evening, with a risk of severe gales around the more exposed coasts and headlands.
Air and ferry services are expected to be back to normal by Friday afternoon but passengers are being advised to check before travelling.
