Some 4,000 residents of the Ħal Mula area in Żebbuġ are furious that road works in their area stalled several months ago, forcing them to live in a permanent dust cloud.

Unfinished work left the area resembling a “war zone”, with residents claiming the dust was leading to eye infections and respiratory problems, such as asthma.

One resident, Stefan Falzon, said everyone was in disbelief that work was still unfinished.

“If there is a limit to our patience, the Żebbuġ local council is doing its utmost to reach it.

“The conditions that the residents have to endure on a daily basis are horrendous and yet no one seems to take responsibility for this mess,” he said.

He said the local council was making excuses and blaming the contractor for the delays “instead of pointing the fingers at themselves for their poor negotiation skills, which proved the council’s sheer incompetence”.

Another resident, Robert Vella, said the works had caused havoc to residents, a nuisance to garage owners and an unquantifiable loss of business to shops.

Much worse, he said, children suffering from asthma and other allergies have seen their medical condition get worse while the elderly have been deprived of their freedom for months.

Żebbuġ mayor Alfred Grixti said the contractor had promised to continue work next week.

Insisting the council was four-square behind the residents, and that their anger was justified, he explained that the council had gone through painstaking negotiations with the contractor, who failed to meet obligations due to cash-flow problems and workload constraints.

Mr Grixti explained that the €700,000 contract signed with Bonnici Brothers in January last year was intended to resurface 19 roads, but work only started last July.

He said two major roads were completed but the council was not happy with the rate of progress so it asked the contractor to speed up.

Last January, the contractor dug up a few other roads but works had to stop in February “because of the rain”, and then because he faced a problem with his tarmac batching plant.

Mr Grixti said 10 of the 19 roads had been completed when the contractor packed up and left on March 20. The council made two attempts to meet the contractor to know why he had abandoned the works abruptly.

The first fell through as the contractor said a meeting with a foreign partner had cropped up.

The meeting eventually took place at the second attempt.

During this meeting the contractor’s representative said the directors had decided to focus all their resources on other work commissioned by Transport Malta at the Marsa Sea-Passenger Terminal and that they had to finish this work on time or face a €10,000 fine per day for delays.

The contractor’s representative also said that they would not be able to continue the work in Żebbuġ before the end of May 2012.

In light of this, the council unanimously decided to withdraw a €70,000 performance guarantee, but the contractor threatened to halt works until the money was refunded.

The council asked for a detailed programme of work and, as a sign of goodwill, refunded the guarantee, although it had no legal obligation to do so.

Last month, the contractor continued work on the remaining roads, which should be completed by the end of October, but works are already running behind schedule, he said.

“The residents are justified in their anger but they should be angry at the contractor. We are not trying to cover his back.

“We were very forceful with him. The contractor should show some respect to the residents who are living in dust,” Mr Grixti said.

When contacted, a spokesman for Bonnici Brothers said the company had no comment to make.