Residents in Sliema’s Sir Arturo Mercieca Street feel trapped in their own road, amid extensive construction work which has now blocked parking bays.

The relatively quiet, narrow road has become a concealed trap for many motorists who unknowingly drive all the way down, only to find a huge crane sitting squarely in the middle, surrounded by a brick wall.

With no signs indicating that the bottom part, leading to the sea front, has become a dead end, drivers have no choice but to reverse back up the narrow street.

Metres away from the crane are two major construction sites – one on each side of the road where entire houses have been demolished, replaced by huge craters which become deeper every day. The pavements are broken, while the road is heavily potholed and sloped.

Parking – especially for residents living in one end of the street – has become close to impossible as signs were set up to keep the bays free between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. from Monday to Friday until April 30.

An exasperated resident said: “The crane has been blocking the road since summer and since there are no signs, drivers are constantly reversing back up the road,” she said.

With a three-year-old son, the woman cannot park in the garage of her apartment block or close by as the parking bays are usually taken up by workers who used to hog the spaces with large tyres.

“With the new no parking signs, we can’t park until April,” the resident said.

While acknowledging construction works will always cause inconvenience, she called for more coordination and consideration for residents who also had to withstand extensive digging throughout the day.

The incessant sound of heavy machinery was raised by another resident who said it prevented anyone from doing anything – be it studying, resting or working.

“It starts to get to you. I can’t understand how all these permits were granted at one go. They repaired the pavements last year but it was pointless – everything is broken again,” she said.

Describing the road as a disaster, the woman expressed her frustration at the heavy scaffolding covering one construction site which juts out onto the road, making it difficult for residents to manoeuvre their car out of the nearby garage.

Complaints fell on deaf ears – even to the disbanded local council – since the problems persist.

“I moved here three years ago because it was a quiet road but I’m really angry now – if I could I would pack up and leave,” a resident said.