An underground flour mill built during the cold war at Tal-Palma in the outskirts of Mgarr, was opened to the public for the first time today.

The mill was one of seven built around Malta and Gozo in the 1950s. All were built deep underground by the  British forces as part of the civil defence measures to keep the population supplied with bread in case of attack.

The mills were meant to survive a nuclear attack.

Each complex consists of a downhill entrance passage leading to the milling chambers where generators and machinery are placed on two levels.  Adjoining the milling chambers are silos for the storage of grain which  is fed into the mills by gravity and conveyor belts.

The mill at Mgarr was opened on the initiative of Mgarr Volleyball Club, whose members cleaned the site. They are hoping to restore the machinery to working order once they have sufficient funds.

One of the volunteers said this morning that many residents of Mgarr, including elderly people who had lived there all their life, did not know about the mill. He hoped that the mill would one day become a permanent tourist attraction, along with the large wartime shelters at Mgarr which are frequently visited.

The only mills that are currently in working order are at Xemxija and Xlendi, both having been recently restored.