Though I am not an experienced geologist, may I point out, regarding the idea of a submarine tunnel between the islands of Malta, Comino and Gozo, the presence in Malta’s vicinity of at least three volcanoes.

The nearest to Malta is the volcanic island of Linosa, now dormant for thousands of years. It lies 70 nautical miles from our Malta.

Then, semi-active Pantelleria island; its most famous eruption, almost within living memory, happened in 1891. It rises 120 nautical miles west-northwest of Malta at 120 miles.

Lastly, perhaps, Graham island, bank or shoal, in Italian L’Isola Ferdinandea, now about 60 to 90 feet underwater, northwest of Malta at 107 nautical miles. Its most spectacular activity occurred in 1831. And Sir Walter Scott then stepped on this island, together with other numerous documented visitors. At the moment it lies dormant.

But who knows what volcanic activity lies latent in the Sicilian Straits, between Sicily, Tunisia and Libya?

The last point is that Malta lies on or near the east Sicilian tectonic plate, descending towards our islands from Mount Etna, and the dormant Iblei Mountains of southwest Sicily.

Is the latter the main reason why the three-mile bridge linking Messina with Calabria across the Strait of Messina was planned but never came to fruition?

Surely these points need to be considered before embarking on the building of a bridge or the digging of a submarine tunnel between our three main islands.

Our best local geologist is Peter Gatt and his views on the geology of our islands should be brought home to our planners.