They said that “no decent human being” could live in what they called a dumping zone. “We live (among) rats enjoying their second Maghtab, just a few metres away from our homes.”

One resident said that a few months ago he called the Birkirkara local council to raise the matter. “But the helpful person at the other end said that the council could do nothing about it.”

If the local council cannot help with such problems, why is there a council in the first place, the resident asked. The reason given by the council for its inability to act is that the land is owned privately and the council cannot intervene in such matters.

The state of the road in question also does not help the cause of these residents. Last September, they said, the road was measured and they were told that it would be surfaced in November.

To date, however, nothing has been done and the residents continue to live in this “appalling situation.”