If all the privately-owned cars in Malta were placed bumper-to-bumper, they would form a line that would stretch as far as Rome at least.

Adding the present complement of 582 route buses and the 156 coaches would extend the line further, especially if commercial, hire cars and other four-wheel and two-wheel vehicles are also lined up.

Figures released yesterday by the National Statistics Office show that the stock of licensed vehicles rose to almost 300,000 in the second quarter of this year, growing by just over 5,000 from the previous trimester.

The bulk of the vehicles - almost 230,000 - are privately owned and make up 76 per cent of the total car stock.

The majority of new licences issued in the last quarter were for cars with an engine under 1300 CC, referred to as Class 1 cars. Only 18 cars were exported between April and June and 844 vehicles were scrapped.