Sliema Strand food trucks towed from public parking spaces

Food trucks and kiosks parked in public parking spaces along The Strand in Sliema have been removed and towed, Sliema Local Council announced on Tuesday 10 November, Newsbook and Lovin Malta reported.

The council said the units were occupying the parking spaces illegally, and that the operation was the action it had promised against the unauthorised use of public space. It was carried out with the Sliema community police and Transport Malta's enforcement unit, according to the council's Facebook post as reported by Newsbook. The council thanked both for their help.

"Public spaces are for the public," the council said. It added that parking spaces should remain accessible to residents and the wider public rather than be taken up by commercial operators, and that it would keep working with the relevant authorities to make sure the rules are respected.

Neither report said how many vehicles were towed, exactly where along The Strand they had been parked, or which regulations were applied.

Ice cream van told to move

Among those affected is Gemma Joe's, an ice cream van that was towed in the operation, according to Lovin Malta. Its owners said in a social media post that they had been told they can no longer trade from their usual spot because they are considered too close to another ice cream van. The report did not say which authority gave the instruction.

The owners said the business is fully licensed and that they are looking for a new location. "We're not quite sure when we'll be reopening just yet," they said.

The enforcement follows weeks of action over the use of public land on The Strand, including the Planning Authority's removal of an unauthorised structure and paving outside a restaurant in October. For the latest on that case, see our report on the Strand restaurant.