Residents in Pembroke are being forced to live in what they describe as a “construction site” amid debris and scaffolding after government maintenance work at their apartment block stopped abruptly four months ago.

More than 30 families have complained to the authorities about the situation, having suffered months of putting up with substandard conditions in their common areas.

Despite the complaints, which they also voiced through this newspaper in June, no workers have returned to complete the job, prompting the residents to call on the authorities once again before they take legal action.

“If this project is not completed as soon as possible, we will have to take it further, since as soon as it rains, we will have problems,” the residents said, renewing their plea for action.

The work was being carried out to solve infrastructural problems that had for years caused damages to the residents’ flats as well as their underground garages.

Venting their frustration, the residents told the Times of Malta that the Housing Authority was responsible for carrying out the work on the common parts of the complex situated close to the ITS.

The maintenance work started in March after years of complaining from the residents, yet the contractors packed up and left days before the election. Hoping they would return once the campaign was over, the residents soon realised this would not happen, as all machinery was taken away days after the election.

With the area still in a dangerous state four months on, the residents are concerned that as soon as the summer months are over and it rains, they could be in for more trouble. Having the interior of their homes already damaged as a result of years of neglect, they fear the state of the common areas will only make things worse.

Questions sent last week to the Family and Social Solidarity Ministry, which is responsible for the Housing Authority,  remained unanswered at the time of writing.