Cars for sale... starting price €10

With a clipboard and tiny wooden gavel, Joseph Sammut from Belgravia Auction Gallery called out the starting price of each car – with the lowest one being offered for €10.

Around 50 men braved the strong winds and muddy terrain for the auction of more than 70 cars and vans, which were confiscated by Transport Malta and never reclaimed. They were auctioned at a compound in Marsa.

But despite the giveaway prices, not all the vehicles were snapped up since new owners would have had to pay the pending registration tax, which in some cases ran into thousands.

Bidders were also put off by the run-down, rusty condition of some of the vehicles, several of which had shattered windscreens and burst tyres.

In fact, 30 of the cars in yesterday’s auction had not been in sold at a previous event.

In another auction last June, just 11 of 41 vehicles were sold for a total of €10,700 – with a further €10,300 paid in registration tax.