Nationalist Party leader Adrian Delia rolled up his sleeves and cleaned up litter from sites in Mosta and St Paul's Bay on Saturday, as the party continued to emphasise its green credentials. 

Dr Delia, deputy leader David Agius and others helped collect rubbish as thousands marched against over-development in the streets of Valletta just a few kilometres away. 

Political parties were specifically asked to stay away from Saturday morning’s Valletta rally, which was backed by roughly 70 different civil society groups. 

In a PN statement, Dr Delia said he had instructed his MPs to respect the organisers’ wishes and stay away from the protest. 

He said that many of the policy suggestions put forward by groups such as Moviment Graffiti - which spearheaded today’s event - had been presented as possible solutions by the Opposition, "such as sustainable planning and master plans”. 

Organisers of the protest told attendees not to be taken in by Malta's two main political parties, warning “the sins of one party do not absolve the other”. 

In recent months, he said, a youth-led movement had taken the initiative to raise awareness about the environment. He urged them to continue taking the lead, and to be the cultural shift, the country needed. 

The country, Dr Delia said, needed to embark upon a long-term plan, to rehabilitate areas that had fallen victim to planning abuses and give them back to Maltese families. 

During a separate event later on Saturday evening, Dr Delia told residents of the 10th electoral district that throughout the summer months, the PN had been preparing a pre-Budget document which included several proposals on the environment.  

The document also touched upon a number of other issues that were negatively impacting residents in many localities, including crime, and overcrowding.