Updated: 6:06pm 

Strong winds lashing the island over the weekend have forced the cancellation of the last night of the Farsons Beer Festival.

The beer festival organisers said the decision was taken with a “heavy heart” following a thorough site visit and on the recommendation of health and safety consultants.

While the winds, expected to reach gale force 6 or 7, were welcome by many on the island struggling to cope with the recent heatwave, they are now causing a number of other disruptions.

San Ġwann and Birżebbuġa cancelled their firework displays and Lija decided to limit their village feast to ground fireworks.

Gozo Fast Ferry halted its voyages early on Saturday morning and said it would not be operating at all on Sunday.

And Virtu Ferries rescheduled its evening voyage departing from Pozzallo so that it would leave earlier at 5pm rather than 9.30pm.

The Malta Red Cross also reissued a warning to bathers to avoid a number of beaches due to the strong north-west winds.

On Saturday, most of the Northern area beaches were marked with a red flag. These included: Golden bay, Għajn Tuffieħa, Ġnejna, Perched Beach and Fond Għadir.