Sliema residents have complained about work on the site of the old Galaxy Hotel, because digging starts at 7am when, in summer and according to the permit, work should not start before 9am, they claim.

The residents have also complained that the enforcement officers at the Malta Environment and Planning Authority are completely ignoring their complaints.

A number of Sliema residents have called The Malta Independent offices to complain about the construction work being carried out at the site on the corner of St Ignatius Junction and Depiro Street.

They said that, according to the permit, the contractor cannot use noisy equipment before 9am and after 5pm on weekdays between June and the end of September, mainly because the site is in a tourist area.

One woman said she does not turn her alarm clock on anymore because the workers are always punctual when it comes to waking her up for work every morning. She said it gets worse on Saturdays, when she has planned to sleep a little longer but is rudely awakened by the noises of digging.

The residents also said that when the construction work began a few months ago, the contractor was using bowsers of water to wash the road and front gardens of the residents across the road. However, he has now stopped doing so, and as a result the road is full of dust.

Contacted for comments, a Mepa official confirmed that work which creates noise can only start at 9am. He said the authority had only received one formal complaint and enforcement officers had been on site last Saturday but no work was being carried out. In response to a request for comments, the Mepa official said that enforcement officers will be looking into the matter and will ensure that the contractor works within the remit of the permit issued.

On the cleaning issue, the Mepa official said the contractor was not required to do this according to the permit, and it depended on the his goodwill.