Graffiti sprayed on the façade and side wall of a Mosta chapel were cleaned up by Saturday morning.
On Friday, independent candidate Arnold Cassola, and separately, the Mosta local council said the chapel of St Paul the Hermit, in Wied il-Għasel, had been vandalised.
“The mayor, architect Chris Grech, has written to the concerned authorities so that this big mess is remedied as soon as possible,” the council told its Facebook page followers.
Police confirmed that reports were filed and said they were investigating the vandalism.
Photos posted by the local council show several crosses, graffiti tags and an expletive in Spanish spray painted across the lower parts of the rural chapel’s façade and side wall.
On Saturday morning, Grech said the green and brown spray paint that defaced the chapel had already been cleaned up by the chapel’s caretaker.
The chapel is particular in that it is built in a cave within Wied il Għasel - a valley that is protected for its high landscape and ecological value.
The valley is often frequented by hikers, photographers and Mosta residents on short walks.