A court has ordered a man to remove his aggressive dogs from a private passageway leading to a farmer's property, after the farmer complained he risked being attacked every time he passed through.

Piju Borg owns and operates a pig farm at Vittoriosa, located next to a portion of farmland he also owns. He claimed that an adjacent property was occupied - illegally and abusively - by Daniel Orsini.

Mr Borg testified that the Mr Orsini had built a number of small stone rooms along the passageway which he had a right to pass through to access his farm. Mr Orsini used these rooms to breed a number of "ferocious" dogs for fighting. 

The dogs were tied with a long chain and would try to attack Mr Borg or any other person who tried to pass through the passageway. Mr Borg recalled an incident when one of the dogs gnawed through its chain and bit one of his helpers.

The dogs, Mr Borg argued, constituted a grave disturbance of his right to enjoy his property.

They were kept in unsanitary conditions, he continued, pointing out that when one of the dogs died, days passed before Mr Orsini took action.

Mr Borg testified that although there were originally six dogs, only two remained.

Criminal proceedings had been started against the Mr Orsini who, despite pledging to keep the dogs under control, had failed to do so. Asked to remove the dogs, he had refused to do so.

Mr Orsini's father also confirmed that his son's dogs often gnawed through their chains.

Mr Borg said that his sons did not even allow him to take his grandchildren to the farm out of fear of being bitten.

Mr Justice Joseph Azzopardi upheld the plaintiff's request and ordered the defendant to remove the dogs from the passageway within a short period of time.