A site is being excavated in St Helen Street, Sliema, located between a large block of residential flats and a private residence (picture).

Excavations start at 7am and stop at 8pm. Despite numerous objections with the police, this continuous ‘hammering’ goes on and there are still two storeys down to go to.

Last Saturday, Sunday and Monday, residents got a respite, thinking the ‘hammering’ had stopped and that the rule of a ‘moratorium’ for August and September would apply. Then, on Tuesday, the hammering and consistent pounding commenced at 7am.

I phoned the local council and was told that St Helen Street does not fall in a tourist area despite the fact that opposite this building site are apartments hosting tourists, at the back stands the Imperial Hotel, about 70 metres down the road are Depiro Point and the former Galaxy complexes where hundreds of tourists stay; a tourist guesthouse is located about 20 metres in front of the site and, also, hundreds of tourists pass through this area continuously.

Yes, indeed, this part of St Helen Street, just 10 metres away from Dingli Street, does fall right in the centre of a touristic area. But it seems like this road no longer forms part of Sliema.

The owner and developer of the site is an architect who seems to enjoy total immunity. The police were called in a couple of times to stop the pounding in the afternoons but it starts again the moment they leave.

I urge Sliema residents being constantly barraged and shattered by heavy-duty machinery to take action and protest against these disgusting absurdities.

Hope this letter does not fall on deaf ears.