The 70-deckchair allowance at Blue Lagoon falls far short of the demands of the estimated 4,000 bathers who are dropped off at Comino every day, according to service operators on the island.

Vendors, sunbed and boat operators who yesterday spoke to The Sunday Times of Malta said hundreds of people are ferried to the island every hour and by noon the place is already crowded.

Despite going over the allowance – sometimes there are 400 sunbeds – bathers often have to beg or argue with operators for a deckchair or umbrella, with some offering to pay double the price.

Visitors who are not catered for spread towels on the surrounding garigue, a Natura 2000 site.

Earlier this month, Malta Tourism Authority CEO Gavin Gulia said order would be brought to the war for sunbed space that dominates the island’s coastline.

Two operating licences were this year tendered at €28,000 each for the allocation of 70 units.

In previous years, sunbeds have been laid out on the protected garigue and even in the shallow water.

Yesterday a part of the bay was left empty of sunbeds and the deckchairs, although sprawling up on to the rocks, stopped short of trespassing on the garigue.

Beachgoers said this year there seemed to be more order, but the number of bathers kept increasing throughout the day.