Tree pruning opposite the law courts in Valletta, next to the Great Siege Monument, had to be cut short yesterday when a judge complained that the loud noise made it difficult for jurors to concentrate during an ongoing drug trial.

The pruning of the ficus trees involved cutting off thick, leafy branches with a chain saw, which resonated inside the Criminal Court on the first floor overlooking the square.

At the time, Mr Justice Joseph Galea Debono had just started his summing up in the drug trafficking trial, a sensitive part of the process in which the judge walks jurors through the evidence heard throughout the case and directs them to ensure their deliberations are within the parameters of the law.

Sources said the pruning made it difficult for the judge to be heard and he asked police officers to find out whether a solution could be found.

Workers from the Environmental Landscapes Consortium, who were doing the pruning, agreed to postpone their work by a few hours.

An ELC spokesman explained that the trees needed regenerative pruning, which involved cutting off a substantial amount of branches. This ensures the trees remain stable. Similar works were recently carried out around the corner, outside St John's Co-Cathedral.