Raw sewage has once again seeped into the sea at St Paul's Bay, probably as a result of this morning's rain. 

Filthy brown water with floating pieces of toilet paper smeared the bay as the pumps fail to transport the sewage of the area to the wastewater plant.

The problem with sewage being pumped into the sea has been repeatedly reported to the authorities, but the Malta Young Sailors' Club claim that the complaints constantly fall on deaf ears.

The problem normally crops up when there is a problem with the pumps, often because of blockages, or else due to heavy rainfall, which means the wastewater plant cannot cope. The least the authorities could do is to extend the pipes excreting raw sewage to three miles offshore - the ones in St Paul's Bay are located in the water just five metres away from shore.

An exasperated Malta national sailing coach Jean-Paul Fleri Soler told Times of Malta that the situation is "ridiculous".

"The sewage is just four metres away from shore. This is the 21st century for heaven's sake," he said, adding that the sailors' club for children this morning was once again cancelled. 

"It just rained for half an hour this morning. What's going to happen when we get serious downpours of rain?"