There is no cause for alarm regarding the safety of LPG cylinders, the Consumers Authority and the Resources Authority said in a joint statement.
The authorities were referring to stories, carried by The Times, questioning the safety of the cylinders.
The Times said today that a number of illegal gas cylinders had been found on the market.
Yesterday, it reported that the MCCAA was carrying out an investigation following allegations made by Liquigas that Easygas was misappropriating old Enemalta cylinders, exporting them to Italy for modification and selling them in Malta without the necessary requirements. Easygas admitted sending the cylinders to Italy but claimed this was only being done for storage purposes.
In their statement today the authorities said:
"The fact that an LPG cylinder might not clearly display the serial numbers and/or manufacturer's details as required by law, means that they are not compliant with the regulations. But this does not make them unsafe," the authorities said.
They said they were working together to ensure that all LPG gas cylinders sold to the consumer clearly displayed serial numbers and/or manufacturer's details as required by law.
"Both authorities are taking all necessary actions, including but not limited to enforcement measures as contemplated by law, to ensure that only compliant cylinders reach consumers.
"The re-testing and proper marking of all gas cylinders that have been found to be non-compliant has been ordered.
"Only after this exercise has been carried out, can these same LPG cylinders be placed on the market.
"Moreover random checks at filling stations and on gas distributors, to ensure that they were not given non-compliant LPG gas cylinders, will be performed."
The authorities said consumers should verify that the LPG cylinders they have at home bear serial numbers and/or manufacturer's details on their shroud/body.
Consumers should also be more vigilant and ensure that when buying LPG cylinders, the said markings were present. If not, they had the right to refuse them.
In such cases consumers should lodge reports with either the Malta Resources Authority on 2295 5000 or the Malta Competition and Consumer Affairs Authority on 2395 2000.