Tourists fined for 'surfing' on Venice's grand canal
Two tourists decided to go surfing up one of the world's most renowned heritage sites, the Grand Canal in Venice. Have a look at what made city officials so angry:
The pair were seemingly riding eFoils (essentially an electric surfboard) on Wednesday morning (17th August) when they were filmed by locals.
They were caught on camera riding up and down the waterways, and one even fell off his electric board into the water as they passed under the Accademia Bridge.
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Other footage recorded by various locals show the two tourists dodging a water bus and a taxi under the Rialto Bridge.
The tourists were even cheeky enough to zip past the Salute basilica, one of the city's most iconic sites.
The Mayor of Venice Luigi Brugnaro was disgusted with the tourists, posting to his official Twitter account saying: "Here are two overbearing idiots who make a mockery of the city.
"I ask everyone to help us identify them to punish them even if our weapons are really blunt.
"We urgently need more powers to the Mayors in terms of public safety!"
The mayor even said he would offer dinner to anyone that could help authorities track down the pair of surfers.
Brugnaro later posted on Wednesday the pair had been identified and were subsequently fined.
He said: "Speaking of the two 'heroes' of this morning, we have identified them!"
"Thank you all for your cooperation. and soon, without giving further details, those responsible will be in our arms: they will be reported as they deserve!
"Thank you all for your cooperation."
The mayor did not confirm if one or some lucky locals had bagged a free dinner, or if the authorities deployed the cameras of their control room to identify the pair through CCTV that survey the whole city.
Local paper Il Gazzettino later reported the pair had been fined €1,500 each for taking to the famed waters of Venice.
Meanwhile, the two boards were confiscated as they were not insured, it is believed the two boards were worth around £21,000.
A costly bit of fun for the surfers.
To add insult to injury, the pair were also hit with an antisocial behaviour order and expelled from the city.
Venice has also instructed lawyers to start proceedings against the pair for damaging the image of the city.
Officials say the surfer's consulates will be contacted as a result of their actions.
Callum Jones