At no stage was the Sliema Local Council consulted by either the St Julian's Local Council or the St Julian's Police Station regarding the decision to divert large volumes of traffic through Sliema, the council said.

On Monday, with a massive public event taking place in Spinola, traffic was diverted away from central St Julian's and it inevtiably had an impact on the surroundings areas, including Sliema. On a working day, this had an even bigger negative effect as traffic jams stretched all the way back to Sliema, Swieqi and San Gwann.

The Sliema council said this lack of communication caused severe congestion and unnecessary inconvenience for our residents and businesses, especially given that many roads in Sliema are currently closed due to ongoing works by Infrastructure Malta and Enemalta.

Proper consultation and planning should have taken place to ensure that the impact on Sliema was minimised. The Sliema Local Council should have been informed and involved in discussions on traffic management well in advance.

"We call upon the St. Julian's Local Council, the St. Julian's Police Station, and all other relevant entities to engage in open dialogue with the Sliema Local Council to prevent similar disruptions in the future," the council said. Effective communication and cooperation between local councils and authorities are essential to ensuring that residents do not bear the brunt of inadequate planning.

The Sliema Local Council said it remained committed to advocating for the best interests of our community and expects that such oversights will not be repeated.