Fifteen illegally-built rooms along the scheduled cliffs in Għarb, Gozo, were removed over the last few weeks following enforcement notices issued by Mepa.

The illegalities, which included rooms and roofed structures, used mainly for trapping, as well as large quantities of dumped construction waste had been served with enforcement notices at the end of May and most were removed within weeks by the landowners themselves, Mepa said.

"They wisely sought the cheaper option than having to foot a bill, running into thousands of euros, to cover expenses incurred by the authority to carry out a direct action operation," it said.

Early in May, The Sunday Times reported that the stretch of cliffs behind the iconic Azure Window in Dwejra had been defaced by the unbridled illegal dumping of construction rubble in mounds, neatly placed in a row, marring one of the most picturesque views of the islands.

At the time of the report, the authorities were unaware of the dumping but the Gozo Ministry had immediately reacted, saying it was "committed" to finding whoever was responsible.

Following a report the Malta Environment and Planning Authority had received in early May about the illegal dumping along the pristine rural area known as Ta' Maxwell in the limits of Għarb, its enforcement officers had started to investigate illegalities along the entire site. After a number of inspections, Mepa issued 13 enforcement notices on rooms used mainly for bird trapping that were built without a permit and on the illegal dumping of construction waste on the agricultural land.

Another four enforcement notices already existed in the area, dating back as far as 2005.

"Mepa's enforcement staff made sure to convey the message that a comprehensive direct action operation would soon be forthcoming right across the rural area," its enforcement manager, Alexander Borg, said. "This has had the desired results because landowners and offenders were worried they would then be presented with a hefty bill for the expenses Mepa would have incurred in carrying out the operation, together with legal fees."

Over the past days, Mepa, with the assistance of the Gozo police, directly intervened to remove the illegalities on three sites, the owners of which chose to ignore the enforcement notices they had been served.

The enforcement team removed an illegal room and large quantities of illegally-dumped material from the picturesque surroundings and action should continue over the next few days to remove other illegal structures and dumping that were covered by older enforcement notices, Mepa said.

The Dwejra area has been plagued by the chronic dumping of construction waste. In 2000, The Times had exposed a small landfill, dubbed "mini-Magħtab", on the top of the cliff, overlooking the inland sea. The site has since been cleaned up at considerable expense.

Nineteen persons were caught dumping over the past two years and, last month, a number were arraigned in connection with the illegal act in the area.