St George's Bay beach

We refer to letters sent in by Sharon Mifsud and Stanley Richard Hill.

While we regret the correspondents' negative experience at St George's Bay, we would like to reassure readers that all the necessary steps are being taken to finalise works at the beach in time for the summer months. As a matter of fact, the official beach management arrangements will be put into effect on June 1.

The fact of the matter is that the implementation of the second phase of the beach replenishment project has coincided with a spell of particularly good weather which has induced a substantial number of tourists and locals to use this beach. While we feel that the beach should remain open to the public, it is proving difficult for the contractor to provide a safe and accessible site.

To manage this situation, the authority has taken action to ensure that sand-sifting operations are intensified. In fact, a thorough clean-up of the beach through sand-sifting was carried out in May. Lifeguards have also been assigned to the beach for risk assessment purposes. In the meantime, tighter controls are being exerted on the contractor involved.

The Malta Tourism Authority is also making the necessary arrangements to have the seabed cleaned from debris as part of the upcoming beach management arrangements for the rest of this year.