A cache of fireworks was found in an old disused reservoir of Fort St Angelo when Heritage Malta took over responsibility for the lower sections of the fort some months ago.

“I do not know how much fireworks they found, but a soldier from the AFM bomb squad told me considerable damage would have been caused had they gone off,” Ivan Barbara, manager, estates and security at Heritage Malta said.

Mr Barbara was replying to questions in the wake of the vandalism caused to a chapel at Dingli cliffs last week.

He said security was under constant review at the 36 sites administered by Heritage Malta.

Malta, however, had a huge number of historic sites and it as impossible to protect them all.

“We are spending thousands of euros on security, including new technology and training. Every cent is a cent well spent, although we could do many things with that money had no security risks existed.”

He said that while catching anyone who damaged historic sites was important, the focus of Heritage Malta was to prevent vandalism or theft in the first place.

Without wishing to give detail, Mr Barbara said that more trained security officers employed by private firms were being engaged to guard the priority sites, and passive security measures – from fencing to CCTVs and approach detection devices, were being installed. They would eventually be linked to one security hub.

The risks Heritage Malta faces are various.

“You can get the harmless courting couples, the people who dump their rubbish in the sites, others who steal old decorative stones, and the vandals such as those who threw paint last week. Sometimes we have found herds of goats on historic sites and when we became responsible for Fort St Angelo, we found the fireworks,” he said.

Mr Barbara said that while a three-year security plan was being drawn up, much depended on the agency’s limited financial and human resources. He hoped, however, that laws would also been beefed up to deter anyone from causing damage to the sites.