13 comments so far.MEPA seizes 650 deckchairs and parasols from Comino
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Malta Environment and Planning Authority enforcement officers, accompanied by Gozo Police officers and Malta Maritime Authority officials raided the area around the Blue Lagoon in Comino yesterday.
Upon their arrival in Comino, they found the area totally devoid of the usual array of deckchairs and parasols, indicating that a warning of the raid had obviously preceded their arrival.
However, after a lengthy search of the island, around 400 deckchairs and 150 parasols were located, these were all seized along with a number of concrete parasol bases found along the beach and in the sea.
Can Mepa supply the public and tourists with a number to ring if they discover this type of illegal activity? The beaches of Gozo, Comino and Malta do not belong to these criminals.
I read this article with interest.
As a regular visitor to the Malta, and with some experience of how civil life proceeds there, I am left wondering whether, had the owners of this beach paraphenalia on Comino been more prominent, more significant in the community, whether such enforcement would have proceeded ?
Will there ever, for example, be an end and one on the side of the law, to the protracted issue of the damaged bypass in Malta itself ? It is the case that Malta’s standing in the world is undermined by such issues. There are those who see them as farcical. I speak as a firm supporter of the country and its people.
WHAT ABOUT THE UNOFFICIAL CAR PARK ATTENDANT AT DWERJA,
I HAVE LIVED IN GOZO FOR SIX YEARS AND AM A REGULAR VISITOR TO THE AREA, AND EVERY TIME I DRIVE DOWN THEIR I AM APPROACHED BY THIS GUY,
I HAVE READ IN THE PAST THAT SOMETHING WILL BE DONE TO STOP HIS ACTIVITYS, BUT HE’S STILL THEIR ON A DAILY BASIS TOUTING TOURIST, WHO DONT KNOW ANY BETTER AND HAND OVER MONEY FOR WHAT THEY ASSUME IS A PERMIT TO PARK THEIR.
@ mr tyrell .. dont be ignorant how can u call these people criminals .. they r not selling drugs or doing something that an harm someone , these are just there to give a service.
@e vella. Do the persons concerned have a licence to provide this ‘service’? Don’t bother answering because if they had they wouldn’t have hid from the police would they? Without a licence they are operating illegally which makes them criminals.
If these people want to operate legally then they require a licence to do so. Hopefully the authorities wouldn’t be stupid enough to give them one for the simple reason why the hell should tourists like myself be harassed by these people when all we want to do is sit on the beach.
The beaches are there for everyone, tourists and locals alike to enjoy free of charge.
Mr Tyrrell criminal is a harsh word, please don’t be an arrogant person.
@Peter. Read my reply to e vella as it applies to you too. There is an old saying, ‘if you don’t like the heat stay out of the kitchen’. Well if people get annoyed at the use of the word criminal they shouldn’t do things, which are illegal. There is nothing arrogant about the use of the word. Arrogance is thinking that there should be some sort of sliding scale of illegality whereupon the point is reached where the word criminal does not apply.
As someone who wishes to reside on GOZO in the coming years I am amazed at the amount of unregulated activities that occur on various beaches, villages and common areas.
However, i am equally amazed at how lobbying the correct individuals seems to be buy admonishment from the illegal activity while others remain persecuted for it. Regulation needs to start at the top and then work its way down. As long as the top refuses to act fairly with its practices and rules then there can be no basis to reprimand these individuals who are actually serving a greater purpose for the visiting tourist.
I ask … why now for these individuals who were renting beach gear? I have been on the island countless times and this service, while unorganized, was extremely valuable to me as a tourist. Ah, and I answered my own question … someone has recognized the value and they want it. Again regulation needs to happen at the top. I suppose i can look forward to higher prices on my sunbrella?
As for the parking attendant. I just think that is stuff great tales are made from. Seriously, How can anyone be upset at that person. If anything the governing body of Gozo should put him on the books as he has provided a great service to all those ugly buses that careen there way down the passage to see the Azure window. For god’s sakes pin a medal on him for being entrepreneurial and spirited enough to recognize a valued service that one should get fair compensation!
In the end … I love Gozo. And, in these times, grandfathering these industrious people is what the islands should be doing. Not condeming them.
I don’t want to sound biased, but it sounds to me that the people moaning are British or a better word foreigners, Everyone has got to earn a living and with the low wages most Gozitans earn what do they expect, they also a family same as you and me, besides I have seen this sort of thing in the UK so i would suggest to let the authorities either issue a permit ot let them sort it out, we definitly do not need any interference from foreigners, this I know works both ways, so the people moaning I say Live and Let live, nobody is forced to dig deep in their pocket its entirely up to them they are definitly not crimunals please, but simple people who want to live same as everyone else in this world, where the rich get richer and the poor get poorer.
Mr Borg, I am one of your “British foreigners” who has the pleasure of living on a most beautiful magical island Gozo. I do feel that some Brits want to change things, to which I would reply – Go somewhere else if you don’t like it. I feel very priveleged to be able to live here and have no problem with anyone trying to earn a living. My only gripe would be please let people off the ferries & buses without being bombarded by the comino ferries & hop on hop off buses. I realise they have a job to do and money to earn but if only they did not block the pathways would be very much appreciated. Apart from that we love residing in your wonderful country. Thank you
Here, here Frank….i live in Australia, however my father with a gozitan from Rabat. I have visited Gozo many times. Leave Malta/Gozo be….please do not have this wonderful place over governed like so many other countries in the world…these people are not hurting anyone and not forcing people to use their facilities. To me and i am sure to others this is why we keep coming back…if you don’t like it maybe you should go back to where you came from!!
perhaps mepa should visit comino on a more regular basis, i was their at the weekend and the jetty/landing was full of deck chairs and parasols making it difficult to pass without triping over someone or something, these people are ripping off tourists, the unofficial car park attendant is still carrying on at dwerja, someone said earier
“these people have to make a living”, i agree, but you think it ok and fair when you and i pay taxes on our earnings and these people dont ?
What MEPA should punish is the MARINE POLLUTION caused by grit blasting for 3 consecutive weeks at the Grand Harbour by the big boy with big balls running the dockyard and not these few people who are earning a living in a decent manner. I agree they should pay their dues like all other good citizens. As always, MEPA is strong with the crippled and crippled with the strong