It is perhaps the most well worn of nationalistic holiday complaints from British tourists: the Germans always triumph in the early-morning battle to nab the sun loungers.

But now, thanks to the deck chair equivalent of lastminute.com, the rush may become a thing of the past because the Germans will have booked all the spaces weeks in advance.

From next year German tourists will be able to go online to reserve any of the 15,000 beach chairs on the luxury North Sea island resort of Sylt.

In an effort to boost the popularity of the resort, a popular getaway for the rich and famous in the 70s, its tourist association (www.sylt.de) has made all the island's beach chairs available for booking.

The last of a series of websites will be operational in January, allowing visitors from cities such as Berlin some 500km away to avoid bickering with other holidaymakers about seating arrangements.

Styling itself as the St Moritz of the North Sea, the island has gone from an exclusive retreat for the rich and famous to a more democratic holiday spot.

As the number of visitors has increased, tempers have frayed and squabbles over beach chairs have broken out.

The managers of the beaches finally agreed to remedy the situation by implementing the online booking service.

Prices vary depending on which beach you choose but they start at a modest €6 (£4) a day.

Stephan Huttenrauch, who is building the websites, says that the main Sylt portal is already receiving 10,000 hits a day.

He said: "The island still has its rich and beautiful image and does cost more than similar resorts on the Baltic Sea, but we are getting more people camping or staying in weekend apartments here who have more limited budgets."