Two people from London have been fined £1,400 each for going onto a closed road during the Manx Grand Prix.

Russell John Gray and Yeesan Chin were arrested on Monday after twice walking on a stretch of road between Tynwald Hill and Ballacraine.

The pair pleaded guilty to entering a road in contravention to the Road Races Act 2016 and were both also ordered to pay £125 prosecution costs.

They must pay the fines and costs forthwith or face up to 70 days in prison  in default.

Prosecuting advocate Barry Swain told the court that, on August 26, the roads had closed at 2pm and racing commenced.

At 6.10pm, the roads were still closed and a marshal reported seeing Gray and Chin walking from Tynwald Hill to Ballacraine

The area of road they were on was marked as closed with yellow signs and railings present.

The marshal said that the railings would have had to be moved to get past them.

The area was said to not be part of the racetrack, but was covered by the road closure.

Gray, aged 68, and Chin, who is 66, were told the road was closed and both guided off to the rear of a private residence, where they said they had been going to watch the race.

Later, they were seen back on the closed road, heading back towards Tynwald Hill, and were told for a second time to get off the road, but Gray was said to have continued walking and replied: ‘I know I can do this.’

They were arrested at 7.07pm and taken into police custody where they spent the night.

Chin, who was said to be receiving a pension, was interviewed and said she knew the road was closed but had thought ‘it was safe enough’.

Duty advocate Peter Taylor represented both parties and said that neither had any previous convictions.

He asked for credit to be given for their guilty pleas, and asked the court to deal with them in a manner that would allow them to leave the island that same day, as he said they were staying on a boat moored in Peel marina.

Company director Gray, who lives at Ennismore Mews, said that he had gone to the area of Ballacraine on Sunday to see where the best place to watch the race would be.

He said that, on Monday, they had walked into the closed area as they had assumed pedestrian access was allowed.

Gray said he disputed that a barrier would have had to be moved and said that there was a gap, and that they were only going to a private residence.

The second time they went on the closed road, he said that a notice on a gate said no spectator access during racing, but a voice on the tannoy had said that racing was over.

Gray said that they saw a retired racer on that stretch of road walking with a marshal, so they had wrongly assumed it was ok to go on the road.

Mr Taylor said that his clients were not being belligerent, and weren’t on the course itself, it was a section of road outside of the course, but which was closed.

The advocate said that Gray also disputed that he had said: ‘I know I can do this.’

Deputy High Bailiff Ms Braidwood told the two defendants: ‘The roads are closed because they become a race track.

‘The closure is for the safety of riders and spectators.  It’s expected people will obey the signs.

‘I find it absolutely baffling when there are marshals around and you’ve already been told that roads are closed, that you then enter onto those roads.’