Those with their own brollies will not be allowed to sit where they please Officials to set aside 10% of space at each of the island's popular beaches Scheme to be tested first at Kata beach before it is rolled out elsewhere

By Chris Kitching for MailOnline

Published: 07:57 EST, 8 January 2015 | Updated: 08:11 EST, 8 January 2015

Tourists who bring their own parasols to popular beaches on the picturesque Thai island of Phuket are being forced to sit in designated areas under a pilot project announced this week.

Holidaymakers who take the bring-your-own-umbrella approach will not be allowed to sit wherever they please amid ongoing complaints about clutter on beaches.

Provincial officials are testing the idea of setting aside 10 per cent of space at each of the islands most popular beaches for umbrellas and hired mats, Phuketwan reported.

Tourists relax on Kata beach as local officials measure one of the designated zones for umbrellas

Umbrellas will be restricted to just 10 per cent of Phuket beaches under a new pilot project

The scheme will be tested first at Kata beach before it is rolled out at other beaches, including all of those in the Phuket city district.

Somkiet Sangkaosutthirak, Phukets vice-governor, and baffled tourists watched on Wednesday as officials marked an area measuring 32ft by 82ft.

Excerpt from:

Tourists who bring parasols to Phuket beaches confined to small zones