Naxxar local council has complained about the number of caravans showing up again at Baħar iċ-Ċagħaq and Salini, saying that promises by ministers to address the situation have not been kept.

In a statement, the council said that last July the tourism minister had promised to address the problem at the end of last summer.

"Despite the promise, the council has not been given any information about what is being done," it said.

It said it had also discussed the matter with the parliamentary secretary for local government and had been promised action, but again, no developments were seen.

The council said it was unacceptable that the Baħar iċ-Ċagħaq coast and Salini, one of Malta's most beautiful areas and seen by thousands every day, continued to be cluttered with every form of caravan without any regulation or control.

It recalled that last year it had proposed a by-law to regulate the caravans but it was turned down by the central government, even though similar by-laws existed for Mellieħa, Marsascala and Sannat.

The people deserved better, the council said.

Caravan owners defy a no parking sign. Photo: AFP

Last July, the government suspended a planning application that would have allowed caravans on a temporary site along the coast road in Baħar ic-Cagħaq.

The application had been resisted by Naxxar council, which observed that it made no provision for basic facilities.

Tourism Minister Clayton Bartolo had announced in a Facebook post that the authorities would instead work on a holistic plan that would eliminate conflicts over land use for recreational purposes, identify the most suitable sites, and ensure that such land use was structured and had the least environmental impact possible.