Updated 4.25pm

Workers demolishing a house in Paola dropped bricks and construction rubble onto the street on Tuesday, prompting an outraged reaction from the town’s mayor.

Mayor Dominic Grima said workers had closed off Triq l-Arkata to carry out the demolition works before the council issued a permit allowing them to do so.

The developer had applied to close off the street this Thursday. But instead, works moved ahead on Tuesday morning.  

"He just began work without informing anyone," he said.  Grima said the street had been closed off to traffic. 

"As far as I know, cars were not passing through, but people still could walk by the street," he said. 

Grima said he informed the authorities as soon as residents brought the situation to his attention.

BCA investigates and issues fines

Photos published on social media showed parts of the street and pavement outside the construction site covered in rubble and dust.

By law, demolition works should be walled off and rubble contained within the development area.

The Building and Construction Authority told Times of Malta that it has imposed daily fines on the developer "for the absence of appropriate traffic management, enforcement, and warning signs."

It also emphasised that it is "strictly prohibited" for demolition debris to be dumped on the street. 

The contractor responsible has applied for a licence to operate under new rules that came into force late last year, the BCA confirmed. 

Rubble was then moved back into the site after the demolition works. Photo: Jonathan Borg

According to public documents, the site is being demolished to make way for a complex of 25 apartments and 36 garages. The developer is  Francesco Raniero Grima with Stephan Vancell as the project architect.

When Times of Malta visited the area on Tuesday afternoon, the contractor had cleared the rubble away from public areas and moved it into the construction site.

A police spokesperson said that the demolition works appeared to have been “planned”.