A number of Mellieha residents have complained that MEPA enforcement officers failed to stop illegal construction works in Triq il- Kappillan Magri.

The residents called MEPA about the works last Monday and two enforcement officers were dispatched on site.

The officers did not even have a measuring tape in order to check whether the construction works overshot the construction permit, and had to borrow one from the residents.

The residents said the officers were supposed to show up a 7am before the construction works began, but instead turned up at 9am when a concrete mixer was already on site.

Taking measurements with the borrowed measuring tape, the enforcement office found that the construction works were being carried out illegally and with an expired permit.

The construction workers were told not to lay any concrete, but the residents said they pretended not to understand Maltese, being foreigners and continued anyway.

One of the residents – Joanna Caruana – asked the enforcement officers to phone up the police, but they refused on the basis that they had not been ordered to do so by MEPA.

Ms Caruana then proceeded to phone up MEPA herself, and the enforcement officers were ordered to go back on site and stop the works.

Mrs Caruana said the construction workers once again ignored the order and continued with the works.

She deplored MEPA's lack of professionalism, and questioned why the police were not called on site given the illegalities.