Following the third disruption of the late shift sorting process, at the central mail room on Wednesday evening, no mail was sent to the hubs for delivery yesterday, and Maltapost hubs in Malta were kept closed, with delivery staff being sent back home.

Maltapost senior manager communications Tony Barbaro Sant has denied that any Maltapost employees suffered flea bites at the central mail room yesterday. Mr Barbaro Sant said a doctor was called in when four employees complained of itching, and added that, in the doctor’s opinion, the itching in three of the cases was probably the result of mosquito bites. The doctor was also of the opinion that the fourth employee had definitely been bitten more than 24 hours earlier.

Mr Barbaro Sant also denied that the flea infestation had spread to the hubs, and said that the hubs had only been fumigated as a precaution. Furthermore, Maltapost had not received any complaints from clients visiting the hubs, probably because the public do not normally call at hubs.

Mr Barbaro Sant remarked that it was unfortunate that the Union Haddiema Maghqudin had issued a statement to the media on yesterday’s events without being in full command of the facts. Meanwhile, Mr Kim Wright, the general manager of Comtec, the pest control company entrusted with the fumigation at Maltapost, said that although it was quite possible for fleas to have been introduced into the Marsa building via mailbags, it was far more likely that the feral cats in the area were responsible. Mr Wright added that kittens, also being carriers, would further help to spread the fleas, and the heat at this time of year would also be a factor, as fleas tended to multiply fairly quickly in the heat.