Tents along the foreshore at Mistra and Armier must be dismantled by the weekend after the planning authority issued eviction orders.

Planning Parliamentary Secretary Michael Farrugia yesterday confirmed the orders were issued last week.

“The planning authority will take direct action if they are not removed,” he said, adding eviction orders will be issued for tent structures on the Marsaxlokk foreshore.

The Armier tents have nothing to do the caravans mentioned in a court judgment earlier this year, a case that has gone to appeal.

However, those hoping to see the last of caravans along the road at Mistra beach will be disappointed.

The Malta Environment and Planning Authority is only empowered to take action to clear the foreshore, including temporary tented structures protruding from the caravans on to the pebbly beach.

The move comes after weeks of inertia from the authorities that allowed the roadside caravans that mushroomed at Mistra Bay to expand ‘their’ territory through the tents.

The issue was flagged by Times of Malta last month but the situation worsened in August, leaving bathers grappling for the few unoccupied spots.

Dr Farrugia said as the caravans were on the road it was up to entities such as Transport Malta to determine whether there was any breach.

“Unfortunately, these are the bureaucratic systems in place today but from October an inter-ministerial committee will get together to plan ahead for next summer and set out the rules for caravans, tents, camp sites and concessions for putting out tables and chairs,” he said.

In this way the different entities will be able to coordinate action and advise people ahead of time, Dr Farrugia added.

Malta Tourism Authority chairman Gavin Gulia told The Sunday Times of Malta that one body was needed to manage public beaches.

He had argued that enforcement was full of grey areas and split between various entities including the MTA, the police, Mepa and the Land Department.