It is summer and many people are enjoying the beach weather. There have been many government and NGO sponsored drives to ensure that people do not litter beaches, with varying levels of success. However, one reader reported that beach boys at the Riviera Martinique routinely tell litter bugs to pick up their rubbish and dispose of it in an orderly manner. Good on you, keep it up.

On the same matter of beaches – we now know what harm the sun can do – yet you still see people who are sun burnt and still refuse to cover up or put on sun protection. Long exposure to the sun causes skin cancer, get with it and cover up if you are susceptible to burning. This holds especially true for children.

Another issue which should be looked into is creating car park spaces for areas around beaches. Every year it’s the same old story. There are not enough places to go round and people end up having to park on double yellow lines (you’re not exactly going to walk for 30 minutes in the baking heat are you?)

Once again time-share touts can be seen pestering tourists, going up to each and every person who does not look Maltese, trying to sell them their package. This has become intolerable to tourists. Time-share touts should put up stands similar to those used by agencies who sell boat-trips around the island and should only speak to tourists when spoken to. It is a pity to see tourists literally annoyed because of such a bother.

The perennial water grate culvert problem just outside the offices of The Malta Independent has resurfaced. Every so often (three months or so) the gratings come loose and we see the same old story, it is patched up only to come loose again. We have waste of resources, waste of man hours and not to mention the fact that it is a road hazard. It is 2007, surely a long term solution can be found.

The road leading from the back of the Naxxar church to the Trade Fair Grounds entrance is an absolute and utter shambles. It has been pulled apart for what looks to be a mixture of road and construction work. Driving on the road is akin to off-roading – get it sorted, or people might cotton on to the fact that they can sue for damage to their cars and quite rightly so, one might add.

Here’s an entertaining one. Someone recently decided to use white paint or tippex to remove the date of when the St Paul’s Bay bypass is due to open. If it was done by a disgruntled motorist it’s one thing. However, if it was done by the authorities, well, it’s rather unprofessional. We wonder…

It is illegal for 4x4 vehicles to venture into certain parts of the countryside. However, we notice that certain cars – albeit not four wheel drive – drive right down onto garigue areas near beaches and even over soil. Some even have caravans trundling along behind them. Is this legal?

The residents of Naxxar are truly glad that this is the last time the Trade Fair will be held in their area. For years, they have had to put up with chaotic traffic and parking problems since a proper multi-storey car-park was never built in the Trade Fair grounds. Naxxar residents are now hoping that whatever development takes place in this area, it will be adequately built to ensure that problems do not occur again.