Derelict buildings in Valletta are not only an eyesore but a health hazard as a resident in St Dominic Street found out, having to dodge falling glass panes.

She had to avoid the glass falling from the balcony of a decrepit house next door on three separate occasions. The house is corner with Strait Street.

“I almost slashed my neck,” said 71-year-old Nina Gauci, looking up at the remaining panes and anticipating their imminent fall.

She said she was walking into her house on one occasion and got in just in time. “They will kill me in the end!”

The traditional balcony, hovering above the street, seems to be hanging on a thread. In fact, haphazard rope, binding parts of it together, appears to be the only thing securing the crumbling structure, now roofless.

A slab of concrete can also be seen doing a balancing act on the eroded wood and, overall, the whole construction seems to be dangling.

If the recent strong winds had blown from the opposite direction, they would have dropped the whole thing, Ms Gauci said, insisting matters were made worst by a skip positioned under the balconies, acting as a magnet for residents to get closer to the danger. “They’ll get it on the head,” she warned.

The balconies of the neighbouring building are not the only precarious part of the street. Opposite Ms Gauci’s house is another palazzo, with holes in the top of the façade, where large stones have been displaced, crashing onto the road.

Asked whether she had taken any action, Ms Gauci said: “Who do you want me to talk to?” She claims she had called the police but no concrete action was taken.

But Valletta mayor Alexiei Dingli maintains the “solution is simple and effective”. In these situations, a report needs to be made to the police, who would then trace the owner and get him to remove the danger, he said, insisting the system has proven to work.

Dr Dingli has noted the details of the building in question and filed a police report himself.

“The law allows the police to give the owners a deadline to sort things out,” he said, adding the local council often filed reports when it was aware of such hazards and action was taken, including by the Civil Protection Department, if necessary.

The police could be unable to trace the owner but this was not usually the case, the mayor said, pointing out the obstacle could be overcome with the help of the Land Department and neighbours.