The contractor who rebuilt Xlendi Road just a year ago would be held accountable after it collapsed during this week’s heavy downpour, the Gozo Ministry said.

From a freshly asphalted, €2.95 million flat thoroughfare, the artery road linking Victoria and Fontana to Xlendi now looks more like an undulating carpet in parts.

A spokesman said investigations by the ministry revealed that a contractor who formed part of a consortium that rebuilt the road was responsible for the damage. No further details were given.

However, when contacted, Labour’s spokesman on Gozo Anton Refalo said the Xlendi Road tender was awarded to JPF Joint Ventures, made up of JPF Asfaltar, Road Construction and Schembri Infrastructures.

Dr Refalo said it was “utterly unacceptable that a newly-built road supposedly constructed according to EU standards suffers considerable damage with the first heavy rain that it had to cope with”.

The Ministry spokesman said all infrastructural projects, including that of Xlendi Road, are carried out in accordance with the specifications and standards stipulated in the contract. “Any works that do not meet such specifications and standards will not be accepted.”

The damage, he explained, was caused by a defective rainwater manhole that was not well sealed and so allowed water to flow under the resurfaced road.

In a reaction, Dr Refalo said he did not believe the damage was caused just because a manhole cover was not properly fixed.

“I maintain that the contractor is responsible for this damage. However, if this damage was truly caused because of bad workmanship, there are others who should also take the blame.

“Surveys should always be carried out on works carried out under public contract and certification of satisfactory work should always also be issued.”

He said he had contacted residents and shop owners in Xlendi who believed that the main cause of the damage was the derelict state of the valley which was full of silt and debris.