Life buoys installed this weekend at the Veċċja breakwater in St Paul’s Bay have been locked away for safekeeping.

Questions were raised when the life buoys ‘disappeared’ shortly after the €1.3 million revamped pier was inaugurated on Friday. Life buoys are meant to be readily available in order to prevent someone from drowning.

It was initially feared that the life buoys had been stolen, but the explanation turned out to be less sinister than that.

St Paul’s Bay mayor Graziella Galea said the life buoys had been temporarily stowed away by the fisheries department as they were seen to be an attractive target for would-be thieves.

“During the inauguration we discussed the possibility of these buoys being stolen. Unfortunately vandalism and the theft of public property is not a rare occurrence in the area… The fisheries department stowed the life buoys away in the landing room near the breakwater for the time being.”

At the inauguration, Fisheries Parliamentary Secretary Roderick Galdes said the breakwater will be monitored by a CCTV system, with the only snag being that the system is not yet fully operational.

The life buoys will be put back in place once the CCTV system is up-and-running, government sources said.

On a general note, the St Paul’s Bay mayor appealed to anyone to report acts of theft or vandalism in the area immediately.

“Like this, perhaps projects which involve a lot of work will not lose their value after just a few days.”

The breakwater was built 86 years ago to provide shelter to the small bay. The area is frequently battered by north-easterly winds.

Over the years, the breakwater fell into disrepair making it difficult for fishermen to dock and unload their catch.

Works on the breakwater began two years ago after a number of fissures within the concrete structure developed.

The project, completed recently, was part-financed by the EU.