A contractor who was stopped from carrying out roadworks in Msida returned to the site on Wednesday, forcing authorities to intervene and see him off.

On Sunday, the Infrastructure Ministry announced that the contractor responsible for work at Ix-Xatt Ta’ Xbiex had their permit revoked due to hindrances to vehicles and dangers for motorists created by the work.

In their statement, the ministry did not name the contractors but said that Infrastructure Malta would be taking over the work.

But on Wednesday, workers showed up at the Msida site and refused to budge.

An eyewitness said that two men, one "young" and the other middle-aged, got into a truck that was already on site and refused to move.

The truck bore the logo of San Ġwann-based construction contractor Sier & Sons. 

Sometime later, police showed up and blocked them, stopping them from moving their equipment, the eyewitness said.

A police spokesperson declined to provide details about the incident, saying it was a civil rather than criminal matter. Police were on-site to ensure public order, the spokesperson said. 

One of the parked diggers as traffic slowly drive by in the single lane. Photo: Matthew Mirabelli

When Times of Malta visited the area on Wednesday afternoon, two diggers, a large transport truck and a trailer were parked on a dusty, closed-off lane as cars drove by in a single open lane of slow-moving traffic.

Nearby, six police officers from the Rapid Intervention Unit stood by alongside several Transport Malta enforcement officers.

At around 2pm, workers moved one of the Sier & Sons diggers into a large green trailer with the company name painted on the side. Asked for an explanation, they declined to comment on the situation.

When pushed for an answer, one yelled out “we’ve been thrown back into the 80s,” as he walked away from the trailer.

A smartly dressed man seen conversing with the worker told Times of Malta that the incident concerned a "small issue" that has since been resolved.  He declined to identify himself when asked to do so. 

The workers drove off with one of the diggers at around 2.30pm, as police officers slowly left the site.

At around 2.30pm, the workers drove off in a large transport truck bearing the Sier and Sons logo. Photo: Matthew Mirabelli

Times of Malta has sent questions to Transport Malta.

The much-delayed Msida project has been beset by delays, with works still ongoing over a year after they began.

Initially, the €930,000 project had to be completed by April but, four months later, the road remains reduced to one lane, causing daily traffic congestion.

Its latest deadline was overrun once again last week, with Water Services Corporation blaming an unexpected bout of rain for the latest delay.