A man is expected to be charged with animal cruelty and breaching food safety regulations after animal welfare officials discovered he was using the back rooms of his garage as an illegal abattoir.

The Animal Welfare Department were alerted to the situation with an anonymous complaint about illegal activities concerning animals at the garage, in Triq il-Bajjada, Qormi.

They visited the place this morning and found that the garage, was used by Gianni Bajada, whose son worked at the slaughter house, as a mechanic and carpentry workshop.

However, its back rooms were being used as an illegal abattoir.

The animal welfare officials, who were accompanied by the police, found pig heads in small tanks, intestines, freezers packed with animal parts, and live sheep, some of which were untagged.

A tag is issued by veterinarians to certify that an animal is fit for consumption.