Update 2.32pm - Adds Tourism Minister tweet

The official price list issued by the MTA.

If you're spending the day on Comino, a beachside deckchair and umbrella shouldn't cost you a cent over €20, the Malta Tourism Authority has said.

The MTA has published an official price list for umbrellas and deck chairs for the Blue Lagoon's beach as well as its jetty and outrock area, as well as for Sta Marija Bay, following a series of complaints on social media about operators ripping customers off. 

Operators were legally bound to stick to these prices as well as to issue fiscal receipts for each transaction, the MTA said. Contracts signed following a 2015 tender - which was won by four operators - also stipulated the maximum number of deckchairs operators were allowed to put out on each bay.  

Signs listing maximum allowed prices would soon be put up at both the Blue Lagoon and Sta Marija Bay, the MTA said. 

It urged anyone who had been overcharged to call 2291 5452 or 2291 5453 or email info@visitmalta.com. Phone lines are open Mondays to Saturdays between 9am and 5pm and on Sundays and public holidays between 9am and 12.30pm. 

In a tweet, Tourism Minister Edward Zammit called the existing situation "unacceptable" and said the MTA would step up and take legal action if necessary. "Will continue to improve tourism product," he wrote.