A restaurant on the main road in Baħar Iċ-Ċagħaq is still operating despite an enforcement notice served last May.

The notice was issued in connection with the construction of an alfresco wing at the former beach-post turned restaurant.

A Mepa spokesman confirmed that the illegalities at Las Palmas restaurant – formerly known as Ronnies – were still there.

He added that the owners were paying a daily €20 fine, amounting to €3,620 over the past six months. “The fine will increase to €40 a day if the illegal structure remains for another six months,” he added.

So far, Mepa has refrained from taking direct action to remove the illegalities, which practically double the restaurant’s area.

Restaurant owners speaking to Times of Malta on condition of anonymity described the €20 daily fine imposed by Mepa as “a big joke”. “Mepa is basically encouraging the owners to persist with the illegality and continue with their operation. It’s worth paying a fine of just €20 a day for such an illegal development,” the owner of a restaurant in St Julian’s said.

Neighbours of the illegal restaurant said the place was full to capacity on a daily basis during the summer months and was still popular even now.

The extension was built last May and the structure stands on a platform with steel stilts placed on the public beach. Wooden flooring and elegant tables and chairs were used, increasing the number of covers by about 80. This occurred when an application to Mepa to do the works was still pending.

The restaurant operators submitted an application to Mepa on March 14, 2013 for “internal and external alterations to the property and placing tables and chairs at roof level”.

Neighbours said the gale force winds that hit the island recently badly damaged the structure. Repair works were done immediately, they said.