Liquigas said this afternoon that it is making extra efforts to urgently import new gas cylinders because of a shortage which it says has been caused by hoarding by competitor Easygas.

"Further to the 56,000 new Liquigas cylinders put on the Maltese market in the last two years, Liquigas is making extra efforts to import new Liquigas cylinders as soon as possible," the company said.

It added, however, that this would only solve the problem for a short period of time.

"Unless the authorities stop Easygas from continuing with its abusive hoarding, the problem will never be resolved," the company said.

Gas distributors this morning held a protest outside the Malta Resources Authoirty, complaining that they had not been supplied with gas cylinders by Liquigas for days.

Informed sources said that some cylinders were handed to the distributors today.

Liquigas said it did not have any cylinders belonging to Easygas. It has not been informed by the MRA on how many Liquigas cylinders Easygas has claimed that it had hoarded over the last four months. Nor had any Liquigas cylinders been returned by Easygas.

Liquigas said that responsibility for order and for this hoarding to stop rested squarely on the shoulders of the authorities.

The MRA late on Thursday reportedly ordered the two gas companies to declare how many of their rivals' gas cylinders they have in their possession, and to return them within five days. 

A spokesman for Easygas said the company had given the requested information to the MRA.