A report highlighting “imminent danger” at Fomm ir-Riħ due to the instability caused by coastal erosion was drawn up and sent to the police in January, Times of Malta has learnt.

A 34-year-old man from Swieqi was injured in a fall at Fomm ir-Riħ late on Wednesday evening.

He landed in an inaccessible spot and first responders described the rescue operation as having been “long and difficult”, lasting from around 7pm to 11pm.

The man was taken to hospital for treatment.

In a report compiled by architect Alex Torpiano and commissioned by landowners in the area, two serious risks were identified: the state of the existing passageways and the risk of further rock collapse due to coastal erosion.

Exposed cliff face at Fomm ir-Rih

In 2020, a sudden rockfall buried a large chunk of the pebbled beach in the bay.

“The first risk is related to the passageway down from Triq Fomm ir-Riħ, which is both steep and slippery, particularly in wet conditions, as well as narrow,” Torpiano said in his report.

Due to splash erosion from the sea, he observed that the rocky shore had gradually worn down to the shoreline, undermining the higher ground above it.

The owner has not been able to close off the upper level, although it belongs to him

“The second more serious risk is related to the eroding edge of the clay plateau, characterised by cracks in the ground; there is the risk that these edges could fail without warning. This would affect people walking too close to the edge of the upper level. People walking or loitering along the beach below could also be affected by falling material from the rock levels above.”

Despite landowners reporting the danger to the authorities for almost a year, no action had been taken to minimise danger.

'No action has been taken'

Torpiano recommended that access to the upper level ought to be prevented and that a parallel line a few metres away should be delineated, warning people not to access the area to prevent falling rock pieces from injuring anybody.

“Nearly a year has passed and the undersigned notes that no action has been taken. The owner has not been able to close off the upper level, although it belongs to him. Nor does he have any power to stop people from accessing the beach, below the cliff edge, in spite of the obvious danger to themselves. The owner has tried to alert the police of the dangers but no action has been taken, other than an inspection by a police officer,” the architect’s report continues.

He said he was advising the police that there is a threat of danger at both the upper and beach levels of the site and that the cliff edge was liable “to collapse at any moment”.

“If people are hurt as a result, the police will be responsible for dereliction of their duty to take action to ensure that the public is not exposed to danger.”

Activists and landowners recently clashed over access to Fomm ir-Riħ. Last month, members of Moviment Graffitti filmed an altercation between hikers and a private security guard who told them not to linger on the path and keep walking as it is private property.

The group maintains that the law allows them to access any land within 15 metres of the coastline. However, landowners have insisted that the guard is not blocking access to the public bay but maintain that access to the bay is dangerous and will remain so until it is properly maintained.

Meanwhile the Ramblers' Association said it believes the recent accident at Fomm ir-Rih where a man fell into an inaccessible location does not seem related to the collapsing clay slopes.

"This notwithstanding, the Ramblers' Association of Malta reiterates the need for the public to have a safe passage to the foreshore at Fomm ir-Rih," it said.

"It is not in favour of restricting access to the Fomm ir-Rih foreshore when the problem is localised only to part of the site and can be addressed with appropriate warning signage and a safety cordon."

Times of Malta has sent questions to the police as well as the Environment and Resources Authority.