A form of hazardous waste is set to be used in the construction of the Ballasalla bypass.

The new bypass will ultimately re-route the main Douglas to Castletown A5 road from the centre of Ballasalla.

In the House of Keys this week, Infrastructure Minister, Tim Crookall, said: ‘Subject to land agreements, budget approvals, waste licences and a successful tender process, it is anticipated that work will commence on the Balthane Roundabout in the spring of 2024.

‘The hazardous waste material will be removed for processing and will be stabilised with other materials stored in the island to form a hydraulically bound material before being reused in the new construction.

‘The stabilised material is then encapsulated beneath three layers of Asphalt.’

Coal tar, a thick black liquid which can be carcinogenic, according to OCL Regeneration, a UK-based disposal company, is a form of hazardous waste that will be used in this process.

Mr Crookall added: ‘I see this as a way of getting rid of the waste and using it for a good purpose.

‘Coal tar that we already have, and that will come up from this project, will be used on this project.

‘Hopefully it will be a way of in the future, getting rid of coal tar, because we know there is more of it out there, we just don’t know where it is and how much there is.’

But Arbory, Castletown and Malew MHK Tim Glover wanted reassurance that there is not a repeat of the skip sitting in Ballabeg for seven months.

Mr Crookall said that it was a shame that happened.