Mobile kiosks on the Sliema Strand have become “a permanent fixture”, taking up precious parking spaces for residents, the local council says.
Mayor Anthony Chircop told Times of Malta the council had received numerous complaints but expressed his frustration that they could do very little except forward such reports to the police.
A number of licensed street hawkers were leaving their mobile kiosk parked in the same spot overnight, in breach of their trading licence, which stipulated that they had to move elsewhere if they were not open for business, he noted.
“However, we are even more concerned by the fact that, in some cases, kiosks have been towed on site and left there for weeks if not months, becoming a bit of a permanent fixture,” Mr Chircop remarked.
Kiosks have been towed on site and left there for weeks
He said that in some instances chairs and tables were placed on the promenade even though mobile kiosks were not allowed to encroach on public land.
“The only feedback we got from the police was that kiosk owners had been warned to abide by the rules but no improvement has been registered,” Mr Chircop said.
The council is insisting that enforcement has to be continuous rather than sporadic as, otherwise, such abuses will continue. The issue is expected to be debated in the coming days when the council considers proposals on how existing regulations can be tightened.
The plan is to make recommendations to the relevant authorities.
Trading licences regulations lay down that a street hawker “may carry out his commercial activity from any place, in any street, by hawking, that is by parking his vehicle according to the traffic regulations in any street where he stops to sell till he serves his customers and then, after serving his customers, moves to another place”.
Licence holders are also obliged to be in possession of premises to garage their motor vehicle and are forbidden from placing any objects on the pavement while serving customers.
An Economy Ministry spokesman pointed out that enforcement of licences issued by the Trading Licence Unit fell within the remit of the police and not the ministry.
Questions sent to the police remained unanswered at the time of writing.