Tables and chairs that blocked ambulance access in some Valletta streets started being removed as part of an enforcement exercise led by the local council, Mayor Olaf McKay said.

In a Facebook post on Friday, he said he was in contact with the authorities and, as from Friday morning, the removal of tables and chairs started - to ensure access to emergency vehicles.

In the post he added that the council was drawing up a permanent safety plan in consultation with residents and business owners.

This came after Times of Malta reported how an ambulance was delayed in attending to a patient by tables and chairs obstructing its route in Valletta on Thursday.

The incident occurred at around 1.15pm in St Lucia Street, just past the law courts and parallel to St John's Co-Cathedral in Valletta, where several wine bars and eateries are known to have outdoor furniture installed.

McKay said that the tables and chairs that were obstructing the ambulance in this street have now been removed.

A picture snapped by a passer-by shows the ambulance waiting to squeeze past the tables, chairs and umbrellas that littered the street, as staff tried to usher their patrons and allow the vehicle to pass unobstructed. 

Times of Malta received additional footage of an ambulance struggling to drive through crowds of people in Republic Street on Thursday.

This was at least the second time this year that an emergency vehicle has been documented encountering difficulty while navigating through Valletta's table and chair-congested streets.

Back in March, local residents group Residenti Beltin published footage of an ambulance struggling to squeeze through a throng of outdoor catering furniture in Republic Street, reigniting a heated ongoing debate about the take up of public spaces by businesses.