The turtle nest at Golden Bay has been protected by sandbags as environmentalists work to keep off waves which may reach it when the weather is rough. 

Nature Trust Malta has roped in an army of some 120 volunteers who are keeping an eye on the site over four shifts.

The eggs are due to hatch some time in October. 

The area was initially cordoned off with police barriers.

"The sea has not breached the sandbags yet and so far did not reach the nest. We are constantly monitoring the situation and in contact with the authorities," NTM said on its Facebook page.

The loggerhead turtle was spotted at around midnight on August 2 making its way up the beach and laid its eggs by 1am.

The eggs were laid some five metres up the beach and experts decided they should not have to be moved, as had happened during a previous nesting in 2012 in Ġnejna.

Those eggs never hatched, with environmental authorities subsequently concluding they had become water-logged due to the underlying blue clay.