Inspectors swoop on Marsascala bars...again

Inspectors from the Lands Department swooped on Marsascala bars again last night, removing street furniture set up illegally on pavements.

This was the second time in as many weeks that the inspectors conducted such an operation.

A spokesman for the Secretariat for Lands expressed his regret that some bar owners had continued to abuse. He said that tables and chairs placed beyond the established limits on pavements had been confiscated and the bar owners concerned had had their encroachment permits withdrawn - meaning that they cannot place any tables and chairs outside their premises.

Should they apply for a new permit, they would be charged an administrative fee of €1,000.

The spokesman said 17 tables, 56 chairs and other items including amusement machines were removed from five bars yesterday.

He said the raids followed a policy decision taken by Parliamentary Secretary Jason Azzopardi to enforce the law more forcefully to deter abuses of public land and "give public property back to the people". He said such actions also included the eviction of squatters from properties owned by the government.