MPs heading to parliament on a rainy day had better keep their waterproof jackets on once inside Malta’s highest institution because the building is known to leak during bad weather.

Water trickled down from the ceiling in one room within the iconic Valletta building during a press conference held last week by the Democratic Party in a room used by the Opposition.

Plastic containers were placed in strategic locations around the room to avoid damaging the parquet flooring. A stone veneer covering part of the ceiling has taken on a mouldy green hue as a result of the water seepage. Wiring could be seen in a panel adjacent to the veneer.

The Speaker’s office said rainwater seepage had been re-occurring intermittently since day one.

Plastic containers were placed in strategic locations around the room to avoid damaging the parquet flooring

The Grand Harbour Regeneration Corporation and Malita Plc had both been contacted about the matter.

Speaker Anġlu Farrugia said the issue was limited to a few rooms in the building. The Chamber where MPs gathered for debates was not affected, he noted.

MPs shifted to the Renzo Piano-designed Parliament building near City Gate in May 2015.

The new building was mired by delays and cost overruns. Originally touted for a November 2012 opening, the project was soon bogged down by claims of design flaws and political bickering.

The Parliament building was part of a wider beautification project that is still plagued by delays.

Works on the City Gate ditch project continue, more than a decade after plans to convert the car park into a garden were first touted. The iconic Triton Fountain just outside City Gate was last year restored to its former glory as part of a €10 million project to re-generate the area.