Swine flu fears aren’t going to derail this year’s TT preparations, according to organisers.

The outbreak of the disease has caused concerns around the world, with warnings it could spread to become a pandemic.

But with no cases in the Isle of Man and only a handful in Europe, motorsport director for the Department of Tourism and Leisure Nick Black says it's too early to worry about a repeat of 2001, when foot and mouth disease in the United Kingdom led to racing being cancelled.

Mr Black says festival organisers are taking advice from health officials, but he is confident the event will go ahead.

On Talking Heads today he said:

"As you know, government has meetings daily. The swine flu threat, and it is just a threat at the moment, is at a level where we are looking at our preparations and taking advice.

"At the moment, of course, we are full speed ahead with our planning for TT.

"Yes, it's a contingency we have to think about, [but these are] very early days to make any judgements.

"With the situation at the moment we just have to wait, to take advice from our colleagues in Public Health, and we are very much hoping that everything will go ahead as planned, and I think that really is the positive way to look at it at the moment."