Updated 5pm - Contractor replies

Melita customers in the northern part of Malta have had their services restored, after a third party contractor subcontracted by the Water Services Corporation damaged fibre cable infrastructure during road works in St Paul's Bay.

The incident, which happened at around lunchtime, led to service interruptions for customers in Xemxija, Żebbiegħ, Mellieħa, Mġarr, Bidnija and Gozo. Melita television, internet, fixed and mobile telephony services were all offline following the damage.

This is the second time in three weeks that the contractor – Road Services Limited – has seriously damaged Melita's infrastructure, the company said in a statement.

Cable was not marked correctly - contractor

But in a reply sent to Times of Malta, a spokesman for the contractor said its workers could not have known they would hit the fibre cable - because cable markings were approximately 4 feet away from where works were carried out. 

"Thus in no way could we have known that the cables were in the point where we were working," the Road Services Limited spokesman said. 

Road Services Ltd said Melita's own cable markings were 4 feet off the mark.