Campers are given 24 hours to leave
Most campers had moved on
A handful of campers at Marsaxlokk’s Tal-Magħluq bay were given 24 hours to pack up their tents and leave yesterday.
Officials from the Land Department and the Malta Environment and Planning Authority arrived in the area at around noon yesterday, accompanied by two policemen, to serve the notice.
Although people have reportedly camped in the area for a number of years, the issue only made national headlines last Sunday when five men assaulted a local man protesting against the campsite.
Mepa had issued a general eviction notice on Saturday – one day before the assault – giving campers 16 days to leave the area.
But as public outcry snowballed, official efforts to speed up the eviction process followed suit, culminating in yesterday’s 24-hour deadline.
Many campers were confused by the new eviction notices. “We were told we had until the end of the month. Now we have to be gone by tomorrow. What’s going on?” one asked.
A Mepa spokesman told The Times the authority, on the Land Department’s request, had stepped up its enforcement procedure. Mepa had the power to order the immediate eviction of people