Skopje citizens complaining about the city fountains left turned off and often filled with trashed received a shocking answer today. The reason why the fountains are left dry is that much of the mechanisms and the lights were stolen during the winter, reports Lider.mk.

According to the news site, city authorities were planning to turn the fountains on for the papal visit in early May, especially the grand fountain around the Alexander the Great monument at the city square, but quickly realized that the fountains are unusable. The public began thinking that the reason the fountains are not used is political animosity toward Nikola Gruevski, during his term much of downtown Skopje was redeveloped, but apparently the reason is even more embarrassing.

There is still no official confirmation from the city of Skopje about the Lider report. According to the site, the theft reportedly happened during the winter months, when the fountains were draped in protective covering. This raises additional questions, and indicates that only skilled people with access to the several complex mechanisms could steal them.