For the cost of the lovely report drawn up on the Marsalforn seafront I could have had the old breakwater rebuilt and have had some change left over to also throw a good party.

People long ago were not fools; the breakwater was well situated on a bed of hard grey solid limestone. The sea started to tear away at the base of the wall and, finally, undermined it so that the whole lot collapsed.

All this could have been avoided if rock armour (such as you as see at Mġarr or Ċirkewwa) was placed at the seaward base of the wall.

The last breakwater and probably a few earlier ones lie just under the surface of the water. This could be filled on top with clean stone as the water is only six metres deep here to form a hard standing for a reinforced concrete platform. This platform could be easily anchored to the sea floor, a simple marine job in today’s terms.

It is understandable for the local council to want to do the correct job but it all has been looked at before by their forefathers and, with current skills and materials, a breakwater can be made to last for a very long time.

So, please, give the town back in protection and our fishing and swimming spot – a simple effective solution will suffice.