Enforcement action commenced on Thursday at a site in the area known as Il-Ponta ta’ Delimara, where, over the years multiple illegalities were carried out which compromised the sensitivity of the site.

In the direct action operation, MEPA said that its enforcement officers removed over 23 large truckloads of illegally dumped material and scrap among other things.

The truck loads of dumped material were removed from two different parts of this large site. One was close to the historic Delimara Lighthouse, whilst the other area accommodated a series of very large trapping facilities that had been illegally formed by dumping over the natural terrain.

Three rooms, used mainly for bird-trapping and hunting purposes, which were in this part of the site, were also demolished, MEPA said.

The site covers an area of 30,000 square meters, more than 26 tumoli, and spans from next to the Delimara Lighthouse down towards the tip of the Delimara peninsula. The site lies within an area scheduled as an Area of High Landscape Value and Area of Ecological Importance (AEI) for Coastal and Cliff communities.

In the past, the British military had also used it as an anti-aircraft installation and old photos show a number of AA gun positions within this area.

MEPA said that in “May 2002, at this same site, enforcement action had already been taken whereby illegal dumped and scrap material together with a number of vehicles had been removed. The occupant has however persisted in his illegal activities and has even constructed a residential unit on the site.”

The Authority pointed out that “while back in 2002, the costs of the direct action operation were billed to the Lands Department as the land owner, this time round, following amendments to the law, the occupant of the site will be made to cover the costs of the enforcement action. The Authority’s Enforcement Directorate was keeping the Government Property Division abreast of this action.”

In early evening after direct actions for the day had terminated, the Authority was notified that a prohibitory injunction was presented to the Courts by the contravenors’ lawyer to stop any further direct action on site.

MEPA’s enforcement personnel were assisted by the ALE Section of the Police, headed by Inspector Ramon Mercieca.

More actions are being planned for the coming days and a number of contravenors have been advised that direct action by the Authority’s Enforcement Directorate is imminent unless they seriously start complying with the Enforcement Orders levied on them.

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