The historic Marsaskala salt pans, used to harvest sea salt through traditional methods, have been used by beachgoers as a place to barbecue, scorching it extensively.

Besides turning the salt pans into an eyesore, Facebook page Malta Underground explained how this damages the iconic salt pans: as the heat damages the stone and the soot penetrates the porous limestone, the saltpans will never produce edible salt again.

“If and how our heritage will survive depends on how we treat it,” Malta Underground said. “Preserving our past does not start by saying “the government should do something”, but by you and me educating others to look after Malta’s unique sites much, much better.”