Armier is an illegal boathouse village but this has not stopped people from registering their ID cards on their shacks, The Sunday Times of Malta has found.

A review of the electoral register shows at least 31 people registered as living in boathouses at Armier, Torri l-Abjad and Ramlet il-Qortin. One is registered as living in a lido.

The three zones form part of the illegal Armier community in Mellieħa. Some 800 boathouses have been built on public land there.

Two men are registered as living in illegal boathouses at St Thomas Bay in Marsascala. Sources close to the boathouse communities said ID card registration was an attempt by individuals to legitimise their presence by claiming they had nowhere else to live.

This follows the pattern adopted in the past when boathouse owners claimed title over the usurped land because they were given an electricity meter by the authorities.

However, Enemalta has confirmed that in Armier only 100 boathouses have old meters installed. This equates to some 12 per cent of the total. A similar figure for St Thomas Bay was not made available to this newspaper.

Other boathouses that never had a meter would also be provided with one as part of the company’s drive to curb rampant electricity theft in the area.

The spokesman said Enemalta would maintain the right to cut off the electricity supply “with immediate effect and without any obligation or liability for compensation or damages” in the event that any authority orders the removal of the structure where it is installed.