Caravans on the water’s edge in Baħar iċ-Ċagħaq have mushroomed once again, causing problems for residents, while the Naxxar local council is urging the government to regularise the situation.

In 2020, the Naxxar council had drafted a by-law to stop caravans from parking permanently along the Coast Road. The by-law, however, was rejected by then minister for local government, José Herrera.

Naxxar mayor Anne Marie Muscat Fenech Adami told Times of Malta that the council will once again be discussing the issue with the authorities, amid mounting frustration.

“We will be speaking to the permanent secretary responsible for local councils. And we will once again be presenting the by-law we had drafted in the hope that this time around the government will adopt it.”

Muscat Fenech Adami said the council’s aim is to see that the caravans are located in an appropriate site with the necessary facilities.

The council’s aim is to see that the caravans are located in an appropriate site with the necessary facilities- Naxxar mayor Anne Marie Muscat Fenech Adami

“These caravans do not have sanitary facilities and personnel from the public cleansing department have to clean up human excrement from these vehicles,” she said. The mayor said the caravans also pose a problem to elderly or disabled residents of the area who would normally swim in the zone.

“There is no parking left for these residents who want to swim here. They have no access. Our elderly and residents with impaired mobility have been robbed of the most accessible area for them to swim.”  Windsurfers have also complained that they can no longer use access the sea because of the caravans. To complicate matters, it seems that some of the caravans are now even being rented out to third parties. 

Besides lacking drainage facilities, the caravans also do not have water or electricity services.