The Mountain Road is set to remain closed right through until midnight on Friday as wintry weather hampers attempts to reopen the route.

Beinn Y Phott Road and Tholt Y Will Road which lead off the Mountain Road will also remain closed after fresh snow fall and continuing icy conditions.

Department of Infrastructure workers had been focussing on ensuring other arterial routes across the island remain safe and passable rather than fruitlessly throw resources on mountain routes.

But now the condition of the lower roads has improved, the focus will return on trying to get the higher routes reopened.

Providing an update on Thursday, the Department of Infrastructure said: ‘Our gritters have been out since the early hours, salting the main winter gritter routes, before moving onto other problem areas. Other staff have been refilling roadside salt bins.

‘The fresh overnight ice and snow has hampered efforts to reopen the Mountain, Beinn Y Phott, and Tholt Y Will roads and all remain closed.

‘Our staff report that areas previously cleared and salted have over the past 24 hours iced over which is now also covered in fresh snow.

‘Now that the position on the lower roads has improved, we have redeployed snowplough/gritters back to the Mountain.’

One of the biggest challenges has been the snowdrifts which have hampered attempts to clear the routes.

The DoI said: ‘Drifting snow has been a particular issue on the Beinn Y Phott and Tholt Y Will Roads. We have bolstered our staff with contractors using wheeled loading shovels to remove snow drifts from these areas.

‘It is planned to extend the closure orders on all three roads until midnight tomorrow (Friday 10 January). In the meantime work will continue in an effort to clear the roads for general use. They will reopen as soon as they are safe to do so.’

The good news is that temperatures are set to rise going into the weekend which could mean the roads are reopened by then.

Meanwhile, the DoI urges anyone who finds a bin has been emptied and needs to be refilled please contact 850000 and quote the bin's number/location.