The police, the Malta Environment and Planning Authority (Mepa) and local wardens yesterday embarked on a crackdown of littering and dumping as part of a 10-day pilot project to enforce regulations and keep the streets clean.

The crackdown involves officials from the three sectors working together to come down on those found violating cleanliness regulations, by handing out fines to offenders.

Mepa enforcement officers will be working day and night in rural and urban areas in an attempt to catch offenders red-handed, especially when it comes to illegal dumping.

Local councils are taking part in the project by supplying wardens and were given until last Wednesday to provide details of problem areas so that these zones would be targeted first.

The exercise is spearheaded by Chris Said, Parliamentary Secretary for Public Dialogue and Information and is intended to be the start of a permanent system of enforcement.

The secretariat is currently involved in the local councils reform process, where cleanliness and the upkeep of towns and villages featured prominently in the consultation process.