I write to protest most strongly at the apparent lack of enforcement that has allowed hunters to shoot not only every morning since mid-March (way before the season started on April 10) but, also, illegally on Sundays when no hunting is allowed all day.

I will let the following sequence of events speak for itself:

Sunday, April 21.

8.25am: Loud shots (both singles and volleys) from across the road by the top entrance of the Addolorata Cemetery. I phoned on the illegal hunting hotline, 119. There was a ring tone but no answer until the line cut off. The shooting continued, so my wife phoned and got a reply from a woman police constable at 8.36am. We told her there were two shooters and we identified the location.

This problem is too big for the local authorities to handle

She said she would pass on the message to the sergeant. We told her I would go outside and wait for the officers to point out the location of the shooters to them.

I went out immediately and, as the shots continued, I could identify the areas within two fields from which the firing came.

I waited from 8.42am until 9.15am. During that time, two police squad cars passed by on the opposite side of the carriage way, one coming from the direction of Paola and the other from the Santa Lucia exit.

I was standing in full view in a layby but neither car stopped or slowed down, nor did they look in my direction, despite my waving. As there is a roundabout ahead, I hoped they had gone to turn round into my carriageway but they did not.

After waiting for 33 minutes I returned home.

10.05am: We arrived at Delimara, where, again, there was shooting from several directions around us. I phoned 119. The phone was ringing but there was no answer until I got cut off.

I tried several more times, at 10.10am, 10.31am, 10.50am and 11.20am with the same result. This last time the phone rang for a while, then music began; no voice, just music.

After a while I got through to Paul Boffa Hospital! By now I was baffled.

I knew I had not misdialled and could not understand how I had been put through to Boffa Hospital.

Finally, with no let-up in the shooting, my wife finally got through at 11.25am. She spoke to a female and, after explaining our location, was put through immediately to the Marsaxlokk police station and spoke to a constable.

The officer asked if we knew where the hunters were. My wife replied that we could not see them but could hear shots all around us and described the immediate area we were in. He said they were busy with other duties.

The shooting continued but we gave up in despair.

I would add that having been through similar situations in the past, we make every effort to get the facts, timings and identification number of those we speak to.

It was plain to us, particularly this time, that this problem is too big for the local authorities to handle even with the help of the police, who have other duties.

As for the hunters’ federation’s marshals, if they exist, they are obviously as overwhelmed as the police are.

The hunters obviously realise this and seem to be very unconcerned about getting apprehended.