An unlicensed hawker is still being allowed to rent out sunbeds and umbrellas at Ramla Bay despite its blatant illegality.

Last month, in the peak of the summer season, this newspaper reported that the authorities were turning a blind eye to an unlicensed businessman at Gozo’s popular Ramla Bay.

Several reports filed to the Gozo police had fallen on deaf ears.

Although the hawker, Nigel Azzopardi, said that a trading licence covered his business, Times of Malta is officially informed that this is not true.

A government spokesman confirmed that although Mr Azzopardi has a trading licence to act as a street hawker, he is not covered to rent out sunbeds and umbrellas as he is currently doing.

“His licence only allows him to sell non-food and non-beverage items. It does not cover renting out of sunbeds and umbrellas,” the spokesman said.

Mepa has also turned down an application filed by Mr Azzopardi to permanently occupy a piece of public land to offer his services.

When asked why Mepa did not issue an enforcement order it said “the owner is not parking his vehicle at a fixed point”. Mepa said Transport Malta and the commerce department were the competent authorities to determine if there was a breach of the law.

However, Times of Malta is informed that Mr Azzopardi has continued to occupy the same piece of land on a daily basis.

“It is quite evident that Mr Azzopardi, for some reason only known to the authorities, is being given protection despite breaking the law,” a businessman operating in Ramla said.

“It seems that in Gozo the law is there to be broken and the authorities are just spectators.”

When asked to produce the permit he claimed he had, Mr Azzopardi refused and said it wasn’t the newspaper’s business.

“If you want you can go and report me to the police. No one will move me from here,” he said.