The Msida garden remains littered with large metal drums, stones and a wooden pole left there by fireworks enthusiasts four weeks after the locality’s feast.

A defiant Raymond Sultana, who heads the Msida St Joseph Fireworks Group, provided no answers when confronted yesterday over the mess in the public space in front of the church.

Before hanging up the phone he retorted: “We just have to load them [onto a truck]. Are they bothering you?”

Times of Malta had already flagged the situation last week, and Mr Sultana had said the debris, which included Catherine wheels, would be removed.

Most of the wooden structures were removed last week – already three weeks late – but other material used in the ground fireworks display was left in the garden.

The fireworks group has defied an ultimatum from the Msida council

The fireworks group has also defied an ultimatum from the Msida council to clear up the mess by Thursday last week.

The feast dedicated to St Joseph was celebrated on July 23, and residents who frequent the garden have complained about the fireworks structures and materials that continue to litter the place.

“It appears the authorities are powerless to act against these people, and this is unacceptable,” an angry resident said.

The open space is one of a few areas within the sprawling locality where residents can gather and is a popular meeting point, especially in summer.

There are concerns the structures pose a danger to children playing there in the evenings.

Last week, Mr Sultana blamed the delay to clear the area on the reluctance of Msida residents to donate money to his group.

He said that volunteers had to manufacture fireworks for other localities to make ends meet, which meant they did not have the time to remove the structures immediately after the Msida feast was over.