The Sliema council is calling on the authorities to enforce the law and ensure that law and order were observed with regards to illegal structures, hawkers and beggars in the locality.

Addressing a press conference at the Sliema Ferries car park this morning, mayor Anthony Chircop said the council had been reporting a range of irregularities for years to various authorities, including the police, the planning and tourism authorities and the Land Department, but no action was taken.

The main issue, he said, was the number of hawkers scattered around Sliema who were overstepping their licence condition.

Although their licence stipulated that they had to leave at 9pm, they were leaving their vehicles parked on their spot created an inconvenience resident with rotting fruit and vegetables dirtying the area and attracting unwanted pets.

Moreover, stalls selling tours and knick knacks seemed to be mushrooming and the authorities should ensure they had the necessary permit to operate.

A lot of  these stall owners, he said, even pestered residents trying to sell to them.

The council, Mr Chircop said, kept receiving complaints from residents but it was powerless to enforce and had to refer to authorities, which it had been doing for years with no action being taken.

He also said there were some billboards around Sliema which were in a terrible state and on which the planning authority told the council were enforcement notices. However, they had not been removed.

Mr Chircop noted that the council had adopted a policy not to issue temporary electricity meters for stalls yet some still obtained such metres.

The council, he said, had also received various reports of people, usually foreigners, begging for money and pestering people.

The council, he said, did not have authority to take action, it could only request the authorities to do so and that was what it had been doing.