ADPD on Saturday slammed the tourism authority as being "toothless" in the face of entertainment establishments breaking regulations in residential areas.

The statement comes after owners of boutique hotels and high-end apartments, developers and residents in Valletta expressed concern over a new law permitting music to be played outside until 1am.

Meanwhile, residents who live in Rabat, Attard, Żebbuġ, Siġġiewi and Mosta have already been disturbed at night by loud music from parties being held at nearby nightclubs until the early hours of the morning.

On Saturday ADPD urged tourism operators to ensure they did not negatively impact residential communities.

Spokesperson Marcus Lauris said the green party was continuously receiving complaints from residents in various localities over lack of neighbourly respect by entertainment establishments. 

"The Tourism Minister does not care about residents and instead of seeking solutions, he chose to extend hours during which amplified music is allowed outdoors in Valletta," he said.

Lauris added that Malta had a problem of lack of adequate regulations and an enforcement culture.

"The Police do not have the legal tools to effectively enforce regulations. What we have is the Malta Tourism Authority, which is an incompetent regulator," he said.

"Instead of getting out his enforcement team to ensure that the operation of catering establishments in Valletta respects the residents, Tourism Minister Clayton Bartolo succumbed to pressure from the operators and extended the number of hours during which loud music is allowed outdoors," he added.

Carmel Cacopardo, who chairs ADPD, said that in Barcelona and Ibiza, for example, sound levels were strictly regulated to ensure that entertainment establishments met soundproofing criteria, guaranteeing local residents’ right to rest. 

"It is absolutely not true that other tourist hotspots are a free-for-all. The idea that a free-for-all should be allowed to serve the interests of the few at the expense of everyone else is an idea ingrained in the servile minds of the toothless and industry-controlled Malta Tourism Authority," Cacopardo said.