‘This will cost me thousands': Marsascala restaurant damaged by promenade debris

Updated 4.50pm

A Marsascala restaurant owner says he is facing thousands of euro in damages after Storm Harry sent construction debris and seawater crashing through his premises, damaging fridges, furniture and the electrical system.

Josef Abdel Ghany is among those counting the cost of Storm Harry after gale-force winds shattered shop fronts.

He described how metal panels and fencing installed as part of ongoing regeneration works along the Marsascala promenade were swept by rough seas into his Corner View restaurant, shattering its glass frontage. Seawater then flooded the entire premises, he told Times of Malta.

“How are we going to cope, how are we going to repair this damage, and how long will we have to remain closed until we fix it? We don’t know,” he said.

When Times of Malta visited the site located on Triq ix-Xatt on Tuesday, the shopfront had been completely destroyed, with waves continuing to surge into the restaurant, carrying debris from the construction site towards the back of the premises and spilling out onto the road.

Large shards of glass from the shopfront were scattered along the road, while Abdel Ghany said there were additional fragments that he was unsure of the location of.

“The metal from the project in front of us was all thrown onto our premises by the storm, smashing the glass and flooding the kitchen with water. Everything has been damaged,” he said.

The barriers placed all along the promenade and banners advertising the works were scattered all over the coastal road.

Waves have not stopped flooding into the restaurant. Photo: Matthew Mirabelli

The owner said the promenade not been dug up all at once, the damage could have been avoided. He also questioned why metal barriers were left in place in front of restaurants despite advance warnings of the storm.

“I’ve been here since 5.30am cleaning. We’ve had to clear debris and metal panels from the street,” he said.

Abdel Ghany added that much of the food stored in the fridges would likely have to be discarded. “This is probably going to cost me thousands, and I’m doubtful insurance will cover it,” he said.

“How are we going to cope, how are we going to repair this damage, and how long will we have to remain closed until we fix it? We don’t know,” he said. “We’re not sure how much this is going to cost, but it’s definitely too much for us to handle alone.”

Parts of Marsascala were flooded on Tuesday. Photo: Matthew Mirabelli

Apart from this restaurant, others along the same road were also flooded. On another coastal road, CCTV footage captured the moment waves smashed a glass door and tore it off its hinges at the Il-Forn tal-Għawdxi restaurant.

Works to regenerate the promenade, which is part of larger works to develop a new ferry terminal, started a few months ago and have sparked controversy about a lack of transparency.

In a response to Times of Mata, Infrastructure Malta said: "All construction sites are required to remain hoarded and closed at all times in line with health and safety regulations. The area in question therefore remained a construction site and was managed accordingly."