Emergency services were forced to shut the Mountain Road earlier than planned on Saturday due to a crash ahead of the Isle of Man TT 2024 races.

The route between Ramsey and the Bungalow was closed around 9am following the incident at the Black Hut.

A picture from the scene released by police showed a wrecked car lying stationary in the middle of the Mountain Road with large parts of the vehicle visibly damaged.

The driver escaped the crash unharmed, according to the force.

Following the incident, race organisers decided to keep the Mountain Road shut while the scene was cleared.

The remainder of the course closed at 11.30am as planned.

A spokesman for the Isle of Man Constabulary said: ‘Busy start to our day, this was the aftermath following the RTC at the Black Hut.

‘Thankfully the driver of the vehicle wan’t injured.