The residents said the beaten neighbourhood tracks were dug up four years ago, with a view to resurfacing the whole area, but nothing ever materialised. Instead, the area has been left like a building site, full of dust, with mounds of rubbish and uncovered manholes.

Residents of a particular street, Triq l-Ahwa Galea, said that in the summer, if a wind whips up, the area seems like it is in the midst of a desert sandstorm. “And in winter it’s like a mud swamp. Our cars get damaged and our houses become filthy in a matter of minutes after they are cleaned, both during summer and winter,” they said.

The extent of the neglect becomes apparent when residents spoke of a Maltacom cable that had been accidentally dug up and damaged. “It was given a quick fix by the workmen who patched the cable up with industrial tape, but it is still uncovered,” they said.

The residents said the issue was compounded, and tempers flared once residents realised there was a new project to build a link road between the area and the Mosta Technopark. “That annoyed the residents because we have been waiting for a road to be built for four years and in addition, the rubble and dust have increased ten-fold,” they said.

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