Updated at 4.40pm

A quarry that has been ordered to stop all its operations because of illegal dumping is still in action, a month from being served with an enforcement notice.

The Environment and Resources Authority issued a ‘Stop and Compliance’ order to Tal-Misraħ quarry in Gozo on October 2, meaning all works, including extracting limestone and dumping waste, should stop.

However, following a tip-off that the illegal operation was continuing, Times of Malta visited the site and observed a complete disregard of the order. 

In less than two hours on site, trucks laden with construction waste passed through the main square of Kerċem to the illegal Tal-Misraħ quarry to dump their waste. Workers on site cut limestone, while heavy vehicles took the extracted stone slabs away.

Other employees were directing heavy vehicles on where to dump the excavated waste, while a mechanical shovel flattened it to make space for more truckloads of construction material.

Sources who have been observing the illegal operations on a daily basis said that despite visits by ERA and Planning Authority officials, the operations continued without any interruption.

The Tal-Misraħ quarry has been engaged in illegal operations for the past 20 years since the Planning Authority issued an enforcement notice due to quarrying in unpermitted areas.

No direct action has ever been taken, even after a 2012 Court of Appeal decision that the quarry owners were acting illegally.

Recently, the quarry owners, Joseph and Randu Zammit, also began using the quarry for dumping waste from the construction industry, without any permit. 

So far, the Lands Authority has not intervened to stop the illegal use of its site against the condition of its lease agreement with the quarry operators.

Following various reports, including by Times of Malta, Environment and Resources Authority officials intervened, visiting the site and issuing a stop and compliance order ordering a halt of all operations.

According to an authority spokeswoman, in late September “a verbal stop order was issued.”

Since this was ignored, in the beginning of October “a stop and compliance order was issued on site and sent to the owner, who was also facing daily fines”.

The spokeswoman pointed out that according to this order, all activities in the quarry, including quarrying of minerals and dumping of waste, was declared illegal and had to stop.

Despite this action, ERA has been ignored and the illegal commercial activities continue in full swing. 

An ERA spokesperson said later on Wednesday that it had received a "generic report" on Tuesday which it eventually deduced referred to illegal dumping at the Tal-Misraħ quarry.

"ERA is investigating the allegations and will take enforcement action if and as necessary," the spokesperson said. 

Ivan.Camilleri@timesofmalta.com