Two pensioners, Marianne Gauci and John Vella, who live in the same rented house in St John Baptist Street, Sliema, this morning filed an application in court calling on the Ministry for Social Policy to grant them alternative accomodation because their residence was dangerous and in imminent risk of collapse.

They said that an architect had first certified that that their tenement had serious structural problems on December 11, 1986 and he recommended urgent repairs.

In 1997 the police instituted criminal action against their landlord, the Zammit family, for failing to take action to remove the danger.

Both the police and the Department of Social Accommodation were informed that a piece of masonry fell from the ceiling and slightly injured Marianne Gauci.

In January this year Ms Gauci filed a police report that debris was falling from the roof. Policemen inspected the place and found it to be dangerous.

In the meantime, the landlords sold and transferred the property to Mario Tonna, who was told by the police to file an architect's report on the state of the tenement. The architect had said the condition of the building was 'extremely dangerous and the tenants should be evacuated immediately.'

Nonetheless Mr Tonna had refused to carry out repair works. Marianne Gauci and John Vella claimed that he wanted to see the tenants leave so that he could demolish the building and redevelop the site.

A section of the building collapsed on November 9 this year and on November 12 the police ordered Mr Tonna to repair the building and remove the danger which existed to the tenants and pedestrians.

The tenats said they could not move to other accompodation because they had no money. They pleaded that the State had a duty to safeguard the life and safety of the citizens and to protect them from degrading treatment.

They therefore requested the court to issue whatever orders were required for their safety and to order the Ministry of Social Policy to provide them with alternative accommodation.