Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi confirmed in Parliament yesterday that Mepa had occasionally received reports of yellow stains in Kirkop residences. He was replying to a parliamentary question by Joseph M. Sammut (PL) who had said the phenomenon happened mostly in northerly winds.

Dr Gonzi said that from indications to date it could not be excluded that the stains could be of natural origin because similar reports had been received in other countries, especially in spring. No result to date had pointed to industrial activity as a cause.

Mepa was trying to collect as much information as possible from Kirkop local council to enable a more focused investigation.