Updated with a statement by the photocopy equipment suppliers

Attempts are being made to use the serial numbers of three photocopy machines to shed light on how these were dumped illegally close to Għar Ħasan in Birzebbuga. 

The machines were spotted by PN MP Hermann Schiavone while he was walking his dog on Sunday morning. He snapped the photo and uploaded it to social media. 

He said he was contacted by the agent of those machines, who was in the process of filing a police report about the matter. The police, he said, can use the serial numbers to identify which office had a service agreement on these machines.

The Office Group, representatives in Malta for Konica, Minolta and Develop printers like those found at Ghar Hasan said they were cooperating with the police to find those responsible for this act.

"We are able to trace the end-user who bought the machines through the serial numbers and our internal data systems," the group confirmed. 

It said it had policies in place to collect and recycle material which relates to the products it supplies and it condemned the dumping.  

Newly-planted plants stolen

Meanwhile, a considerable number of plants recently planted on the promenade of Wied Babu in Żurrieq, were also stolen overnight, much to the displeasure of the head of the Cleansing Department who took to Facebook to condemn the theft. 

“The Cleaning and Maintenance Division making efforts to keep our country clean, beautiful and maintained at all times. It is a shame that a number of flowers which were planted on the promenade of Wied Babu in Żurrieq, were stolen in less than a week. Not only are these three are missing but many more,” Ramon Deguara wrote.