Residents in one of Balzan’s main arterial roads were left fuming and sleepless by roadworks which were carried out through the whole night until around 4am.

The works, which appeared to entail trenching and resurfacing, were carried out in Triq Birbal, Triq Kannizata, and Triq il-Kbira in Balzan.

Residents of those streets and of the surrounding areas were left fuming when the works, which includes grating the tarmac surface and the use of a mechanical jackhammer, continued to drag on into the late hours of the night and early hours of the morning.

One resident who spoke to The Malta Independent and shared footage of the works with this newsroom said that the works continued till around 4am, spoiling the nights of many in the surrounding area.

A Facebook group for Balzan residents was awash with similar complaints on the noise.

When residents contacted the Police to intervene late at night, they were simply told that if the contractors have permits issued by Transport Malta and Infrastructure Malta to carry out the works, then they could do nothing to stop them.  Transport Malta workers meanwhile ended their shift at around midnight and left the contractors to do as they pleased, residents said.

The complaints prompted the Balzan Local Council to write to Transport Malta at 11pm on Thursday.

“We understand that Triq Birbal is an arterial road and that its closure causes major traffic problems in Balzan and Birkirkara.  So we understand the choice to carry out works at this time when traffic isn’t as strong,” the council mayor Angelo Micallef wrote.

“However it is worrying that in the late hours of the night there is excessive noise which is being heard streets away and causing extreme discomfort for residents.  We’re sure that the work can be done in such a manner where traffic chaos is avoided but also without insupportable noise at almost midnight,” he continued.

The council appealed for sensitivity towards the residential nature of the area.

A second email, effectively repeating the same points, was sent on Friday morning this time to Transport Malta, Enemalta and to Infrastructure Minister Aaron Farrugia and Energy Minister Miriam Dalli.

The council appealed for the workplan being followed to be redrawn and for more reasonable hours to be availed. 

Comments by the council’s Facebook account in a locality residents group also indicated that it knew nothing of the planned works.

The same road works are set to continue on Friday night as well.