Sliema residents may be accustomed to the sound of construction works but, a few days ago, families living in Manuel Dimech Street could not believe the frustrating noises that were allowed during the night.

A resident said that recently he was woken up at about 11.15pm by loud noises. When he went outside he realised that two fork lifters were heaving two lifts – a passenger lift and a car lift – into a new building.

The resident, who preferred to remain anonymous, said he called the police who told him they could do nothing because the contractor had the permission of both Transport Malta and the Sliema local council.

Sliema mayor Anthony Chircop confirmed that the works were allowed to go on at night but said this was “a one-off”.

He said Transport Malta did not allow the local council to block Manuel Dimech Street, a one-way narrow road, for traffic during the day since that would disrupt the public transport system.

The council could only block the road on a Sunday or during the night. It would have preferred to close the road earlier on in the evening but the transport watchdog insisted that the job had to be done later to ensure the public transport system was not disrupted.

The mayor appealed to residents to be patient in such circumstances adding that this was a one-off that was only allowed not to disrupt the public transport system many people relied on.