Douglas Borough Council's attendance at a major exhibition is being defended, in the face of criticism from within the Public Works Committee.

Chairman Ritchie McNicholl says the annual waste management and recycling exhibition at the NEC in Birmingham is a great opportunity to keep up to date with all the latest technologies in the industry.

Committee members suggested any such information could be obtained from the internet, and the cost of travelling to Birmingham couldn't be justified.

But Councillor McNicholl disagrees, particularly as the trip led to the council trialling a new type of road sweeper, free of charge, on the Island.

He says it can operate at up to 30 miles an hour, which means it doesn't hold up the traffic on busy public highways: