The Environment Minister has come under fire over the closure of a family park in Marsascala, with the Opposition accusing him of a contradiction.

Opposition spokesmen George Pullicino and Charlo Bonnici yesterday said the minister could not be believed when he cited health and safety concerns for the park’s closure but insisted there was no imminent risk to workers.

The park was closed after experts recommended it be kept out of bounds for people until a mechanical fault in the adjacent recycling facility was fixed.

As a result of the problem, the recycling plant was burning an acidic gas from a five-metre chimney stack.

However, the closure of the park on grounds of public safety has raised serious questions about the risk to workers at the recycling plant.

“The minister’s beating about the bush is worrying after everyone was left in the dark for more than two months on the mechanical fault and sulphur emissions,” the PN spokesmen said.

The fault developed in May and the recycling plant has been burning hydrogen sulphur gas since.

The spokesmen said they could not understand the minister’s decision to close the park when he admitted the levels of sulphur dioxide (the resultant gas when hydrogen sulphide is burnt) were below EU emissions levels. They asked: “What is the truth Leo Brincat wants to hide?”