Moviment Graffitti has demanded that the government takes urgent action to return the Blue Lagoon in Comino to the public and stop deckchair vendors from covering the entire shoreline with deckchairs and umbrellas.

“The island of Comino should be an unspoiled paradise, free from the overcrowding, overdevelopment and environmental destruction that plague the rest of the country. Instead, it has been turned into a Wild West where lawlessness and greed reign supreme,” the NGO said in a statement on Thursday.

The NGO said that it intends to highlight the many issues related to Comino over the course of the summer, “starting with the ongoing theft of public space at the Blue Lagoon - one of the most beautiful places in Malta and a Natura 2000 site - by private operators who treat the shoreline as their own personal beach lido.”

The NGO said that a recent trip to the Blue Lagoon revealed that last year’s parliamentary petition to bring these operators to heel, which was signed by hundreds of people, has fallen on deaf ears.

“Once again, deckchair vendors cover every inch of the shoreline with deckchairs and umbrellas from the crack of dawn, making it practically impossible to enjoy this national treasure unless you pay €12.50 per person,” the NGO said.

“Anyone assertive enough to move the deckchairs aside, as is their right, is met with verbal aggression and intimidation,” the statement continued.

The NGO said that situation is further aggravated by catamarans visiting the island and dropping off hundreds of tourists a day, leading to large amounts of rubbish being thrown on the nearby garigue, as well as thumping music coming from around six food trucks.

“In the short term, we demand that the Government finally reins in the operators so everyone can enjoy Blue Lagoon. In the longer term, we believe a policy is needed to regulate all activities on the island,” the Moviment Graffitti concluded.