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An operation to remove oil from the picturesque Lunzjata valley continued this morning by personnel from the Wastewater section of the Water Services Corporation and officers from the Civil Protection Department.

The WSC said yesterday that a large quantity of used oil and/or diesel discharged into the public sewer sytem overflowed into the valley after the pumping station stopped working during Friday's power failure.

Access to the area is very difficult and most of the dumped oil, estimated to be at least 400 litres, has to be removed manually.

Sources said that trap booms were set-up to stop the oil flow further down the stream, just under the Roman/Medieval Watch Tower.

Action by the police and civil protection personnel, stopped the oil from finding its way further down the valley and finishing on the small beach of Xlendi.

Farmers who wanted to water their crops from the valley water, were exasperated and the pollution may have also damaged the freshwater crab habitat in the valley which is in mating season.