A private contractor who placed a skip on St Paul's Bay bypass that was involved in a serious road accident on Wednesday did not have a permit, local authorities say. 

The mayor of St Paul’s Bay, Infrastructure Malta, and Transport Malta all said they did not grant permission for the unnamed contractor to place a skip on the road on Wednesday. 

A 54-year-old motorcyclist was seriously injured when he crashed into the stationary garbage skip left on a blind bend along the bypass.

Transport Malta said it "was not informed about the works, and the contractor did not hold a valid permit to carry out works at the site where the accident occurred." 

Similarly, Infrastructure Malta said it "had not been notified about the works, and no permission was requested for them." However, it acknowledged that the accident occurred near works being carried out by a private contractor under its administration.

It did not name the contractor involved.

In October, Infrastructure Malta began work to replace a dangerous leaning wall along the same bypass section where the accident happened.

St Paul’s Bay Mayor, Censu Galea, also confirmed that the council had not issued any permits. "No permits were ever issued as far as I am informed," he said.

He said he was told the skip was placed on the road at around 1pm on Wednesday. The incident was reported to the police at around 5pm. 

The mayor noted that the same skip had been in the same location two to three months ago, and people raised safety concerns with the council at the time. He explained that once he was informed, the council alerted Infrastructure Malta, which added cones and bollards at that time.

The skip involved in Wednesday’s accident was left at the final curve leading to the Xemxija roundabout.

According to the police, the injured motorcyclist, an English man from Mellieħa, lost control of his Honda and collided with the skip. He remains in Mater Dei Hospital with serious injuries.

While traffic cones and a bollard were at the site, an eyewitness and social media users described these safety features as insufficient.