The owners of a number of farmhouses near Siggiewi this morning requested a court to issue a warrant of prohibitory injunction to stop the letting off of fireworks near their properties for the feast of St Nicholas, due later this month.

The fireworks enthusiasts in a reply insisted that they had been letting off fireworks from the site well before neighbours moved in and the site respected current rules.

The request was filed by Jason Mifsud, Reno Scicluna (Malta Falconry Centre) Maria Meita' Agius, Susan Mamo and Carmelo Calleja against Francis Aquilina personally and Noel Agius and Christian Ciappara as president and secretary of Ghaqda tan-Nar San Nikola.

The residents pleaded that the field from where the fireworks were let off was not sufficiently distant from a public road which was used regularly in terms of legal notice 243 issued in 1998 and subsequently amended.

Furthermore, the field was very close to the residences and next door to stables owned by Jason Micallef and the falconry, posing a danger to people, animals and properties.

In reply, the fireworks enthusiasts said they had been using the site to let off fireworks for more than 30 years without anyone objecting.

They had applied to the Commissioner of Police for a permit to let off fireworks and it had been issued in terms of existing regulations.

They also insisted that the safety distances laid down in the regulations were being respected.

A decision is expected by the court tomorrow.