Approaches have been made to coastguards in the United Kingdom and Ireland to see if phosphorous canisters, of the type which have been washed up on the shore in the north of the Island recently, have been seen anywhere else.

The potentially hazardous items have appeared between Rue Point and the Point of Ayre in the last few months.

A written reply to a question in the House of Keys reveals Manx coastguards have been told that three further canisters have come ashore in the area.

It's not known where they came from, but they are similar to others which were washed up in the 1990s.

All the canisters were located and reported by members of the public but, despite extensive searches by coastguards, no more have been found.

The standard procedure is to burn the canisters off after making sure the public doesn't have access to the area. The risk is described as 'quite localised' and the gas readily disperses into the atmosphere.

Further enquiries are being made to see if there there are any other methods of disposal.