For the second evening in a row, a heartbreaking sight was seen over Mosta square, as birds were circling in search of their nests which used to be in the lush green ficus trees, which have now had their branches chopped.

Those trees were, as some activists described them, 'butchered 'on Monday morning as part of a 'landscaping plan' which the local council announced less than 12 hours prior.

Today, activists have been stopping the removal of the trees, arguing that if left in place and with more soil added, the tree branches will again grow.