Last week, a couple of friends and I decided to take our cameras out for a spot of shooting under the Valletta bastions round the coast. I was extremely dismayed to see the amount of vandalism that had taken place there, especially the damage to the bastion floodlights.

There is not much to say on the descriptive side of things, except that it is a shame that people smash the lights. In fact, when checking things out with the Infrastructure and Resources Ministry, we were told that the latest count showed that some 43 floodlights were out of action.

The ministry also said that maintenance on the floodlights is carried out on a regular basis. “We give importance to areas indicated by Valletta Rehabilitation Project. The VRP secures the material needed to carry out the work, although glass covers are not readily available. It is our intention to repair the damaged floodlights,” a spokesman said.

He continued: “The floodlights around Fort St Elmo were completely destroyed by natural elements and vandals, and have been removed. “

The spokesman added that many floodlights have broken glass covers but still work. As a result, the VRP is obtaining quotations for the glass covers. “Unfortunately, these have been vandalised and there is no practical solution that prevents vandalism,” he said.

They don’t come cheap either. It is estimated that some Lm1,500 is spent annually on materials to maintain the floodlight system. The lighting system comprises 417 floodlights.

“There are around 40 broken floodlights around Marsamxett and three missing floodlights near St Elmo (known as Sentina). The cost of the lamp and switchgear amounts to Lm22 per set. It is planned to carry out a survey of all the floodlight system once again to note all areas that are not lit and repair as needed,” the spokesman said.

He also pointed out that during the CHOGM all the system, including Cottonera and Mdina, was in order and a large sum of money was spent.