I would like to bring to the attention of the relevant authorities the fact that most petrol stations have no fire fighting equipment at hand on their forecourts and keep their fire extinguishers inside their station shops. I have noticed some irresponsible drivers filling up after hours while smoking, which increases the chances of an accident dramatically, let alone if, God forbid, a car were to catch fire in the forecourt.

The consequences of this could be very serious, especially for the filling stations that are in built-up areas, as we have seen in a number of incidents abroad. Enemalta should take this issue seriously and ensure that all petrol stations have fire extinguishers at hand when the stations are operational.

One appreciates that these can be abused but in these days of high-tech CCTV systems this could be overcome by placing them in safe areas.