Debris that fell from Pulrose power station is disrupting traffic.

Two external glass panels at the Douglas facility failed and glass fell to the ground.

The police and hte Department of Infrastructure staff were called because fragments of debris spilt on to Pulrose Road.

The power station has both an internal and an external glass wall and the inner wall is not affected. That means the integrity of the power station building is not affected.

However, work will be required to remove the remaining elements of glass, which will mean the DoI and the police implementing a road closure from 1.15pm to 2.45pm today.

This will enable Manx Utilities, which provides the island’s electricity and water supplies, to remove the remnants of debris and ensure safety for vehicles and pedestrians on the boundary of the power station site.

Manx Utilities says it is not known why the panels failed, although it is suspected it could be a minor defect in one of the panels that has caused the adjacent unit to fail.

The panels are high-quality Pilkington glass and are have a low failure rate.

Further work will be carried out to fully understand the reason for failure.

MU engineers are now focusing on the remedial work required on the glass wall.