It is baffling that the competent authorities are not insisting that owners have their empty plots surrounded by a boundary wall.
Apart from being an eyesore, these plots are a nuisance and an inconvenience to users of pavements and to residents.
One plot on a Kappara main road recently caught fire after unusable white goods were dumped in the middle of it. Another has overgrown trees that are blocking the pavement and parking bays (see pictures).
Unenclosed plots are being turned into convenient rubbish dumps where rats can live, multiply and roam.
Through their inaction, the authorities-that-be are indirectly consenting to this neglect of the environment and the potential risks to the health and safety of the residents and the community at large.
Residents and taxpayers expect to live in better surroundings. If the owners of these plots (and there are many around Malta) do not care about the surroundings and have no respect for residents, the authorities should do their part.