The clearing away of an illegal dumping site near the Vittoriosa Bastion, close to Żabbar, will have to wait until after summer, as the equipment needed for the task is tied up on beach duty.

In recent days, residents have taken to social media to complain about the eyesore, with photos showing discarded furniture, tyres and construction waste dominating the ditch below the bastion.

More than 1,700 tons of waste were removed from an adjacent area of the ditch in March in the first of a two-part initiative by the Cleansing Directorate.

Photos show discarded furniture, tyres and construction waste dominating the ditch below the bastion

A CCTV system was also installed at the entrance of the passageway leading to the site in the hope of deterring further illegal dumping, a problem the Żabbar local council says it is well aware of.

However, a council spokesman told the Times of Malta that the cleaning of the lower part of the ditch, the source of residents’ complaints and the second phase of the clean-up operation, would only begin in September.

“The reason is mainly due to the fact that the Cleansing Department’s machinery is deployed during the summer months for beach cleaning purposes and therefore cannot be used before,” the spokesman said.

The local council is also in talks with the Works Department over plans to embellish the area.

Some 15,000 tons of waste were collected by government workers from a number of areas in 2015, according to Infrastructure Minister Joe Mizzi.

CCTV systems have been set up at a number of sites to deter dumping, and the government has started an education and awareness campaign against littering and dumping.

Nature Trust Malta expressed “serious concern” last year over what it described as the lack of enforcement and commitment by the authorities to protect local natural heritage, after repeated instances of dumping at protected sites.