Fears about the safety of Rally Isle of Man are revealed in confidential documents released under Freedom of Information.

They show that, as far back as 2013, highways officers had raised serious concerns about the event - which is due to be staged on September 13 to 15.

Last month, the Department of Infrastructure threatened to pull the plug on the rally, saying it would not issue a road closure authorisation.

But following a meeting with the organisers, it was agreed that the event, which is part of the British Rally Championships, will go ahead next month as planned.

Now details of the DoI’s concerns have been revealed following an FoI request.

They include minutes of debrief meetings between highways and motorsport officials, police and rally organisers. Last year’s meeting noted there had been ’numerous’ complaints from the public and the local authorities of Onchan, Braddan and Garff were now opposed to future road closures for the event.

A confidential briefing note from director of highway services Jeff Robinson states that the lead-up to the 2017 rally had been ’very problematic and frustrating’ because of the organisers’ failure to provide appropriate information on time.

He said: ’Officers felt that they have repeatedly been put in a difficult position by the organisers and consideration should be given to withdrawing support for the event.’

Another document refers to an incident in the 2017 rally when a car crashed off Marine Drive. Fortunately no one was seriously injured.

But the note reads: ’Every year we have been promised that it won’t happen next year but every year it’s the same old thing and that is why my chief executive has come to the decision he has.

’Had something much more serious happened on Marine Drive this year, I think each and every one round this table and some that aren’t, would be worried about attending at a Coroner’s inquiry because in my opinion we were far from defensible.’

The debrief flagged up an issue with the car going over the cliff at Marine Drive. Rally personnel in control had left while the incident was still on-going and could not be contacted.

Minutes of another debrief, by the motorsports section of the Department of Home Affairs, states the chief executive had advised he would no longer support road closures without major changes.

It notes: ’From information received by ourselves, we do not believe public safety has been taken seriously, with roads not being closed at proper locations.

’The correct safety measures, ie box junctions, were not in place to ensure that the public are not put at additional risk, and there appears to have been a failure in relation to advance notification of your road closures.’

In an email, Carolyn Kinrade of the motorsport unit told Mr Robinson that the event safety plan was received just days before the rally was due to be staged.

Some documentation was so blurred it was nearly impossible to read, she said, and numerous errors were identified. The previous year, Mr Robinson wrote to the clerk of the course highlighting issues with a lack of marshals resulting in some roads not being closed on time.

He suggested there had been poor internal communication and organisation, an example being a shortage of radios to manage a stage.

Other issues raised at a debrief following the 2016 rally were a lack of correct signage, lack of oil clearance materials, fire extinguishers and brushes and an unclear process for stopping a stage following a major incident.

The documents show that police and highways officers had been raising concerns about the management of the rally at least as far back as 2013. Those concerns include a general lack of marshals, marshals not enforcing road closure points, a lack of ’road ahead closed’ signs and gridlock in Douglas due to lack of signage.

But the organisers insisted in 2014 the rally that year had gone ’better and smoother than in previous years’.

The FoI response includes the letter sent to organisers in July this year by head of highway and asset management Tim Cowin, notifying them that the department had ’no alternative’ but to refuse permission for the road closures requested.

His letter reads: ’It is with regret I have to inform you that the department cannot support your organisation’s event this year.

’Sadly, we are once again in a situation, only 10 weeks to go before the proposed event, where the department has received no information to support Rally 10M 2018 other than the proposed route maps.’