Starting this week, Larvotto Beach will be intermittently closed and swimming prohibited whilst works are carried out to reprofile the beach ahead of the busy summer season.

Winter is hard on local beaches. Storms, winds and heavier surf change the topography making for changes that are not always entirely welcome.

Larvotto Beach is no exception. Now that spring is here, work is starting to make the beach bikini ready for all. During the past several months, the slope of the beach dramatically increased, so works are now underway to flatten the area and return it to its pre-winter appearance.

The work will be entirely land based, consisting mostly of levelling the dirt and sand. This, says the government, will “restore a suitable morphology to the beach to guarantee sufficient reception capacity and meet the needs of securing access to bathing areas”.

Meanwhile, stopgaps will be installed to protect marine life, including the installation of retention nets in the sea to the right of the coves to protect the adjoining reserve from any residual sediment being collected in those areas.

During this works period, which runs from 25^th April to 13^th May, beach usage and access will be limited.

From Monday to Friday, the beaches will be closed from 9am to 12pm, with beach accessibility restored from midday onwards. Shops and restaurants will still be open during this period without any restrictions, however public swimming is banned.

On Saturdays and Sundays, the beaches, shops and restaurants will be open all day, though swimming and sunbathing is still not be allowed.

Smaller maintenance projects will be carried out throughout the summer, though it is not anticipated that these future works will cause closures or impinge on bathers and beach-goers.

Photo buy Michael Alesi, Government Communication Department