The Peace Band Club in Naxxar has re-opened almost a year after it was shut down by the courts when fireworks were found to have been illegally stored in the basement.

The club, which had been sealed since May 3, was opened on Friday when the magisterial inquiry into the discovery was concluded. Explosives were found hidden behind a wardrobe, in the basement, through an opening in the wall.

The discovery had sparked a controversy since the club, situated in the heart of Naxxar, was also located just metres away from a petrol station.

To add insult to injury the club was close to Ħal-Dejf Street, the scene of the March 12, 2008 fireworks disaster which had claimed two lives.

The explosion killed 35-year-old mother of two Sina Sammut. It was suspected to have been caused by the other victim - 47-year-old Paul Camilleri - when he was allegedly manufacturing fireworks inside his garage that neighboured the Sammuts' house.

Three houses were completely demolished in the blast and others badly damaged.

After the fireworks were found at the band club, barely a month after the fatal explosion, Magistrate Miriam Hayman carried out an inquiry and ordered that the club be shut down. The inquiry, the results of which are not public, was concluded last week and the magistrate released the property.

The find led to the entire band committee, 11 men and a woman, being charged in court. The case is still pending and they are pleading not guilty.

Throughout the months when the club was shut down, club members expressed their frustration and questioned why they were made to suffer for the band committee's actions.

Despite this inconvenience, the Peace Band Club might consider itself fortunate that the fireworks were discovered before amendments to the Explosives Ordinance when harsher penalties related to the misuse of fireworks were introduced.

Since then, a Fireworks Inspectorate Unit was also set up to crack down on irregularities in the manufacture of fireworks.