The St Julian’s local council criticised the transport watchdog for issuing a permit for construction works at night, insisting it was “siding with the residents”.

The council was reacting to outrage from residents who spoke to this newspaper last week, complaining of the sleepless nights they had to endure as a result of work being carried out outside their doors until the early hours of the morning.

Residents who live on Birkirkara Road told this paper they were kept awake on Thursday and Friday nights while large trucks transported debris to and from a construction site in the area. A council spokesman confirmed it was Transport Malta that issued the permit despite the council’s objections.

According to the spokesman, the transport authority only made its decision to issue the permit known to the council on the day the work was to be carried out.

The council, although understanding the restrictions when issuing permits in this road, is siding with the residents and believes that consideration should have been given to the residents before issuing such a permit

“The council complained… because when Transport Malta copied us with the permit it was understood that no heavy vehicles would be used,” the spokesman noted.

Photos taken by the residents and sent to this newspaper clearly show more than one heavy vehicle being used, with people living there saying the trucks drove up and down the road to transport the debris, generating dust and noise in the process.

The council spokesman said such permits were usually only issued for work carried out “strictly during the day”, normally between 8.30am and 5pm on work days.

“In this case, the council, although understanding the restrictions when issuing permits in this road, is siding with the residents and believes that consideration should have been given to the residents before issuing such a permit,” the spokesman went on.

The residents who flagged the issue said they were told by the transport watchdog that the permit for the work was issued not to disrupt the traffic flow during the day since the area was close to the Kappara junction where extensive works were under way.

Questions sent to Transport Malta were not answered at the time of writing.