Residents of Attard gathered in Triq in-Nutar Zarb to stop Infrastructure Malta from continuing to chop down two large trees on the street, citing the consistent chopping of trees without listening to the residents’ pleas as “dictatorial”.

These two Ficus trees have been in place there for over 70 years.

"We have been here since 7.30 am this morning ... they have started to cut them off," one onlooker told The Malta Independent.

The onlooker said that there also were PN MPs present at the scene. 

He also remarked that a permit from the Environmental Resource Authority (ERA) was requested, which at first the workers did not have on them, but managed to get them later on.

The onlooker said that on the permit, it was listed that people have 30 days to appeal the decision, "but how can we appeal now?" he questioned.

Various other NGOs have come out against the chopping down of these trees, including Moviment Graffitti. 

"The ERA has confirmed that it has just issued a permit to Infrastructure Malta to remove the trees. As in Dingli, the ERA couldn't care less about the residents and the environment and instead succumbed to the dictatorship of Fredrick Azzopardi," a Facebook post by the NGO read.

"This morning the workers of Infrastructure Malta appeared at 6 in the morning (early in the morning, just as they had done in Dingli) and began to cut the branches and trunks of these trees to pieces. When residents went to the scene and asked for permission, they realized that there should be 30 days until an appeal could be filed."

This means that works started before a chance, as stipulated by law, to appeal against the issuance of the permit by the ERA, Moviment Graffitti remarked.