The planning authority has swooped down on sites in Bidnija and Birkirkara that were full of dumped rubble, disused machinery and illegal structures.

Enforcement officers first targeted two adjacent plots of land in an outside development zone in an area known as Tal-Ħireb in Bidnija, clearing them of the dumps.

They had been slapped with enforcement notices after disused vehicles, mechanical parts, equipment, concrete slabs and large amounts of inert material were illegally dumped on the sites.

In 2011, one of the site owners filed a planning application to deposit soil and building material but this was turned down.

In another action, enforcement officers also removed a number of illegal rooms and pigeon lofts in an open site in Birkirkara surrounded by residences.

Livestock including horses, ponies, rabbits, chickens and pigeons were kept in the illegal rooms but were relocated by their owners under the surveillance of the Animal Welfare Department and vets.

All the owners cooperated fully with the enforcement directorate’s officials, the planning authority said.