A black substance has trickled down the steps and onto the sand at the newly reopened Balluta Beach, only a day after a sand replenishment project was inaugurated.

According to reports, the substance is suspected to be the result of a leak in the main water supply in Manuel Dimech Street, Sliema.

But the Water Services Corporation later said that the black material originated from a culvert following third-party runoff. "Nonetheless, as happens in similar cases, the Corporation will still undertake the usual preventive maintenance on its network in the area just as a precautionary measure," the WSC said. 

The material was later clean up by workers from the Malta Tourism Authority. 

The project had been in the pipeline for years, as locals yearned for something to be done to make the bay more accessible. Studies had been conducted to decide whether it would be more efficient to import sand, or to collect the sand that is dispersed on the seabed throughout the bay and put it back in place.

The bay also had many more amenities added to it, including bins for recycling, showers, lifeguards and beach supervisors.