Legal steps have been taken against the Marina Hotel in Sliema in a case sparked off by complaints from 56 Czech language students about everything from mouldy food to cockroaches in their rooms.

European School of English Limited has filed a judicial protest against the hotel saying they had to pay international operators €15,000 in compensation to the students who stayed in "horrible conditions" in July and August last year.

The school said it had reached an earlier settlement with the hotel over the matter but after the hotel realised it was not going to be given any more business by the school, it initiated its own proceedings.

The students had presented a litany of complaints: broken furniture in the rooms, inedible and at times mouldy food, personal belongings being placed into garbage bags and moved from room to room without prior notice, keys thrown at them by the manager and hotel staff when they complained and insects in their rooms, among others.

The language school said they were approached by the international operators and had to pay out €15,000 in compensation because of the "primitive and deplorable level of service that was not even fitting of a third world country".

The two local companies then reached a settlement last January when the hotel agreed to knock off the sum from an outstanding bill and declare that the school did not owe them the sum.

However, after the hotel realised that the school was not giving them any more business, it brought up the issue of the "outstanding €15,000" and got a warrant issued against the operator and the school to freeze a total of €56,884, the school said.

It complained that this was clear abuse of the justice system to ensure injustice; the hotel had taken action simply to be vindictive after not receiving any more work.

The hotel was trying to play the victim as the creditors and kept on informing the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association - MHRA that the school had still not paid them.

"They should be ashamed to even utter a word after the dismal service given to the school's clients and after causing national shame in a sector that is so sensitive," the school said.

It called on the hotel to stop the order to freeze the money and is holding them responsible for any damages.

Lawyers Kris Borg and Ivan Vella signed the protest.