The Malta Tourism Authority conducts "regular inspections and supervision on bays to ensure that operators are not infringing on their licences or concessions," a spokesperson for the authority told The Malta Independent.

This comes after the issue of enforcement reared its head once again, after beaches became plagued by endless rows of umbrellas and deckchairs during the summer months.

Last Saturday, following a press release from Kamp Emergenza Ambjent which said that "public beaches being turned into private property," five truckloads of deckchairs and umbrellas, which had been found to be in breach of the terms and conditions of the applicable permits, were confiscated from the bays in a joint operation.

MTA's enforcement role with regard to concessions for the hire of deckchairs and umbrellas is not the same on every beach. On beaches which are managed by the authority, MTA can enforce the terms and conditions as specified in the beach concession permit. On other beaches that fall under the jurisdiction of other entities, MTA is not necessarily empowered to enforce the rules and regulations.

MTA licences only apply to certain kinds of operations, such as catering establishments including restaurants, bars, kiosks etc. Some of these may also have permits to hire umbrellas and deckchairs.

Only such operators having an MTA license for a restaurant, kiosk etc can be inspected by MTA's enforcement directorate to monitor that their operation is in line with the terms of the applicable permit.

Other umbrella & deckchair operators operate on the basis of an encroachment permit by the Lands Authority through which they are allocated an area where they can provide such a service.

With regard to Comino, the situation is different. Here, umbrella and deckchair operators were granted a concession through MTA and so the Authority carries out permanent supervision to ensure that the terms of the contract are respected.

Similarly, the beach concessions at Ghadira Bay have a specific area in which they are allowed to set up umbrellas and deckchairs and this is monitored by MTA's enforcement staff daily.

Asked whether it would prove to be more beneficial and productive should the Lands Authority and MTA form an integrated unit to tackle the issue, the spokesperson explained that there was no need, as was "demonstrated in the recent case of Armier and Little Armier, where the two entities coordinated their operations rapidly and effectively."

The operators of establishments who managed these beach concessions were informed on previous occasions that they were not operating in accordance with the permit terms and were advised to comply. They were also warned that action would be taken if such non-compliance persisted.

In a joint statement, the Malta Tourism Authority and the Lands Authority made it clear that "This joint action is part of the ongoing drive aimed at ensuring that regulations are respected in full. This should send a clear signal that the authorities are taking this matter seriously and that further abuse will not be tolerated."

However, photographs showed that soon after the authorities swooped in and removed illegal deckchairs and umbrellas, several public beaches ended up covered in gazebos and tents right up to the water's edge.

As social media comments indicated, there also appears to be a public perception that it is the general laissez-faire and sometimes selfish attitudes of the populace that have given rise to an ever-growing disrespect for the environment and community that surrounds them.

The spokesperson said that MTA, in collaboration with the Lands Authority, is putting up signs reminding the public of what is not permissible on public beaches.  Enforcement and monitoring would then be up to the police and local councils.

The newsroom asked if fines were issued to those who infringed on their licenses and concessions, and if so, what the cost of the fines was, but no reply was given.

The Lands Authority did not reply to questions sent by the time of publication.