The Mellieha local council will be issuing three new by-laws banning barbeques and camping on the sandy beaches of Mellieha Bay and Imgiebah Bay because of the amount of rubbish left behind, despite a number of bins on the beach.

Plain clothes enforcement officers paid by the local council, as well as Malta Environment and Planning Authority enforcement officers, will ensure that the new regulations are observed at all times; those found guilty of violating the new regulations will receive fines of up to e69.88.

The new regulations are expected to come into force within two to three weeks.

Barbeques will, however, still be allowed at 11 other beaches in the Mellieha area, including Golden Bay and the small rocky stretch between the Maxima and San Remo establishments at Mellieha Bay.

Camping will only be allowed at Il- Ponta tal- Ahrax while caravans occupying public land are being removed from locations across the country. Activities such as barbeques and camping involving more than 15 people will have to have permits from the local council, which could be granted but which will be subject to a number of conditions.

The idea behind the plan, which Mellieha Mayor Robert Cutajar admits may not go down well with everyone, is to maintain Malta’s largest sandy beach in its natural state, and with the parallel aim of having the beach qualify for blue flag status.

Several hundred people flock every weekend to the north of Malta to barbeque and party, and Mellieha Bay is one of their favourite destinations.

Such activities, however, unfortunately result in a filthy, littered beach every evening, especially on Monday mornings – putting off Maltese and tourists going for a morning swim.

“We can no longer tolerate such atrocities in public areas, even at the risk of no longer remaining popular,” said Mr Cutajar, who explained the new by-laws to The Malta Independent on Sunday.

Although the authorities have tried to repair the damage wreaked every weekend and to enforce regulations on beach cleanliness, many selfishly dump their rubbish and hot charcoal in the sand or the sea. Power generators are also often placed on the curbside of beaches or at caravan sites, causing a great deal of inconvenience to the public.

New metal bins specifically for the disposal of charcoal were stolen from the beach at the beginning of summer, even before the minister responsible had a chance to formally launch the new beach cleaning system.

Mr Cutajar told this newspaper that the filth littering the beach even included human excrement and syringes – especially where people set up camp or on caravan sites.

The local council has also received a steady stream of complaints from residents whose children had their feet burnt after treading on hot charcoal discarded on the sand.

The new by-laws are being introduced in agreement with Tourism Parliamentary Secretary Mario de Marco and the Malta Tourism Authority, as well as Parliamentary Secretary for Lands Jason Azzopardi and the Lands Department.

A consultation process with all stakeholders will be concluded on 9 July and the by-laws are expected to come into effect within two to three weeks’ time. Signs indicating where barbeque and camping areas are permitted are already being put up.

With the overall plan aim to make Mellieha Bay more accessible, a wooden bridge linking the section of road near the public toilets and the beach will be put up – allowing disabled persons easy access to the beach.

Meanwhile, the often-smelly skips have been removed from the promenade and new wheelie bins have been introduced along the bay. Lighting festoons have also been installed.

Evening disco parties organised by English language schools and similar groups will no longer be allowed at Mellieha Bay – alternative sites will be identified for such activities.

Caravans that had occupied and blocked access to a public car park close to Mellieha Bay Hotel, which can take up to 200 vehicles, has since been restored by the local council, together with the Lands Department.

Meanwhile, the same parking lot will be used in the summer months for parking some 21 boat trailers, which previously had limited access to the Tunnara area on the opposite side of the bay. Fishermen will be able to park their trailers at the Tunnara in the winter months.

The caravan site eviction followed complaints made by the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association and the four-star Mellieha Bay Hotel, whose residents were appalled by the degraded site. Caravans occupying public land close to the Ramla Bay Hotel and the White Tower were also ordered to leave the area.

Mepa is currently considering the proposal of a caravan site at Tal- Prajjet, close to Popeye Village next to Il- Majjistral Park, and similar sites are being proposed for Marsascala and Maghtab.

Talks on the three new by-laws have been ongoing for several months, Mr Cutajar explained, and have the backing of the Confederation of Maltese Trade Unions, Union Haddiema Maghqudin, the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association, the Malta Chamber of SMEs and Nature Trust Malta.

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Blue Flag Certification

• The Blue Flag works to promote sustainable development at beaches and marinas by publicly awarding sites that meet strict criteria dealing with water quality, environmental education and information, environmental management, safety and other services.

• Blue Flag has been available since 1987 and is becoming more popular. It is run by the internationally acclaimed Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE), which also runs eco-school programmes.

• Issues covered in the criteria include cleanliness, provisions for waste and recycling, zoning of activities, and environmental education activities for a variety of people.

• The criteria are updated as needed to keep abreast of new scientific findings, legislation, and generally to keep the campaign participants striving for better environmental quality.

• Last year alone, 2633 beaches and 620 marinas were awarded the Blue Flag.

• 38 countries included competing tourist destinations like Croatia, Cyprus, Greece, Italy, Estonia, Spain, Tunisia and Turkey, which have fully implemented the Blue Flag Programme.

• To date Malta, Aruba, Brazil and Chile are currently running the programme in the pilot phase.

• The main responsibility of the national organisation is to interact with local communities and businesses.