An elderly couple have been cleared of harassing their relatives who live in an underlying apartment after being accused of waking them up in the early hours of the morning with loud footsteps.

The magistrate expressed surprise at how septuagenarian siblings ended up in court over such “puerile and ridiculous” issues and said they were putting a strain on each others’ health.

Guiseppa and Raymond Bonello live in an apartment in Sta Venera, while Ms Bonello’s sister and her husband, Emanuela and Edwin Zarb, reside in the apartment below.

Trouble between the siblings and their respective husbands erupted five years ago when the Zarbs objected to the Bonellos’ decision to add another two floors to their block.

The Zarbs launched civil proceedings in court in an attempt to stop the project. Although the issue was resolved, bad blood between the two families remained.

The Zarbs filed several police reports accusing their relatives of harassment and of being noisy and then proceeded with the court case. The case was dismissed for lack of evidence.

More in The Sunday Times of Malta.