The pebbled beach of Ħondoq ir-Rummien in Gozo is full of fragments of a shattered water pipe made of asbestos, a cancer-causing material that was used for construction.

A large section of the pipe was washed ashore after the adjacent quay collapsed due to bad weather last January.

Asbestos becomes dangerous when its fibres become airborne and are inhaled. However in this case, the fact that the site is in the open makes it unlikely for there to be a concentration of fibres in any one area.

Health officials who went on site on Saturday after being alerted by The Times said the pipe was probably connected to a disused reverse osmosis plant in the bay. They also confirmed that there were little fragments scattered among the pebbles.

Director of Environmental Health John Attard Kingswell said he was waiting for a report on the matter so that he could decide who was responsible and what action to take.

Although admitting that he was not an expert, he insisted that there was no serious health hazard. Nonetheless, the authorities will be working to have it sorted out as soon as possible.

Ħondoq ir-Rummien had already been the source of complaints because three months later, the damage to the quay has not yet been fixed, leaving an unsightly and dangerous gaping hole filled with jagged rocks.

The Gozo Ministry had said that it would be completing works by the summer.