Malta - littered with billboards everywhere

Hundreds of billboards have been erected all over Malta in the past months, turning the island into a veritable notice board eyesore.

It is not known whether all structures have a permit but motorists cannot help but question why the authorities are turning a blind eye to what appears to be a free-for-all.

In some cases, billboards are separated just metres apart and in other places the structures are jutting dangerously into the street. Some billboards are being weighed down with unsightly concrete structures.

Certain advertising material is serving to do nothing more than obstruct some of Malta's most beautiful sites and providing a distraction for drivers.

The fact that the government itself at times makes use of such billboards is the cherry on the cake

Michael Briguglio from Front Harsien ODZ said this is yet another example of Malta's governance deficit, where the public domain and the common good are usurped by political and commercial interests with the blessing of ineffective authorities.

"The fact that the government itself at times makes use of such billboards is the cherry on the cake," Dr Briguglio said.

Times of Malta reported last November that adverts in Santa Venera, Naxxar, St Julian's and Marsa have been placed on billboard structures, which were all served with enforcement notices by Mepa in 2014.

Despite warnings to remove the structures, they were left in place and Mepa has not taken direct action to remove them. In the meantime, the government and its entities continue to use them to mount their public relations campaigns, paid through taxpayer money.