Christian Brincat and I, both Fgura residents, were out walking our dog on Sunday afternoon. We were walking around Wied Blandun in Fgura, next to Cospicua Bastions.

We found out there is a vast area at Wied Blandun which is covered in black dust rather than soil and grass, as is the rest of the valley. The area covered by black dust is approximately 500 metres square.

It seems that the black dust is composed of metal particles, possibly containing iron, and its colour and texture is similar to the black dust falling on roofs and yards as claimed by a number of residents in the south of Malta.

We thought that the black dust could have been carried down the valley by rainwater and thus accumulated at the bottom of the valley, or else perhaps it had been deposited there on purpose to eliminate traces from its source.

Whatever the case, we feel that further investigations are urgently needed .

In the meantime, a dust sample has been collected and it will be forwarded to Fgura council for further examination.