Strong winds smash yacht against Isle of Man harbour wall

The yacht broke away from its mooring in Port St Mary

Severe winds and high tides caused a yacht to to be smashed against a harbour in the Isle of Man.

The vessel broke away from its mooring in Port St Mary at about 09:40 BST, and a ferry service was also cancelled.

No one was injured in the incident and the yacht's owners have been informed, the Isle of Man Coast Guard said.

Steam Packet Company, which operates the Isle of Man's ferry service, said one of Friday morning's sailings was delayed due to the conditions.

A lifeboat and several volunteers tried to save the yacht, without success.

The coast guard said the yacht would be recovered once the tidal conditions were more favourable

Coastguard support manager Laurie Royston said: "Unfortunately we just didn't have enough time to recover it before it went aground. Thankfully no one was on board at the time."

The severely damaged yacht was expected to be recovered on Friday afternoon.

There was no other reported disruption and the weather had settled by about 12:00 BST.

The Isle of Man Met Office said the island had experienced "exceptionally torrential rain and gusts of wind of about 38 mph".