A pristine valley outside Mġarr that was being marred with the dumping of truckloads of construction waste in the past days started to be cleaned up on Thursday by AmbjentMALTA and Wasteserv, in liaison with the Malta Developers Association (MDA).

After, the island's only two quarries receiving demolition waste recently doubled their tariffs, some contractors appeared to resort to illegal dumping.

In a reaction to a report about the dumping in Times of Malta, Environment Minister José Herrera ordered a clean-up and more enforcement.

The Malta Developers Association condemned the practice and said it would help the authorities find the perpetrators. 

In a statement on Thursday, the government said works had commenced to remove a considerable amount of construction material including stones, bricks, debris, and other items disposed of a few days ago.

Some 15 trucks of construction waste were to be removed from the valley. 

Dr Herrera said that the actions being taking was driven by the government's commitment to counter the destruction of the landscape and the country’s environment.

"It is not acceptable for valleys and natural spaces to be littered with waste of all kinds.”

The government said the Environment and Resources Authority will continue its investigations to find the perpetrator.

The ministry urgeds the public to report such cases and pass on information to ERA via e-mail info@era.org.mt or by on tel. 2292 3500.