End to cafe culture

It was with great bemusement that we helped a local bar owner pack up his seats and tables outside his premises and hide them away last Friday week.

All this because government inspectors were about to 'swoop' on his establishment to enforce pavement encroachment permits. As a frequent visitor to Malta for the past 11 years, I can recall that the pavement was extended to allow more people to sit outside after a smoking ban was introduced. In all the incidents that I have observed, the seating was in the extended portion or the pavement as defined by the original kerbstones, and not obstructing the pedestrian walkway.

After many conversations with fellow British visitors and other foreign tourists, most of us assume that the Maltese authorities are at best incompetent, or at worst trying to restrict the 'cafe culture' that we enjoy to deter us from coming.