"A disgrace and breach of duty of care!"

That's the hard-hitting verdict of an MHK on the handling of the Island's hill lands by the departments of transport and agriculture.

North Douglas member Bill Henderson calls it "reckless negligence" and is making his latest outspoken comments on the subject after a number of people got in touch with him about the alleged "destruction of public footpaths by vehicles".

Mr Henderson, himself a former agriculture minister, told Manx Radio the Island has a special natural heritage which needs to be maintained:

"Unlike England we haven't got vast tracts of land which can be closed off so that motorised vehicles and other things can transfer elsewhere to other areas.

"We haven't got that luxury to enjoy, we've got a tiny little bit left of semi-natural habitat within our hill lands and it needs to be carefully looked after [and] nurtured so it's there for our future generations as well.

"[We need to] promote the wildlife and plant life that exist there that make it very, very special."