British couple banned from Venice and fined £400 for jumping in canal

A British couple has been kicked out of Veniceand fined after they were caught jumping into the Grand Canal, local media has reported.

The 35-year-old man and his 25-year-old Romanianpartner, both of whom live in the UK, launched themselves into the famous waterway on the final day of their holiday, it has been reported.

Gondoliers spotted the canal-clad couple and reported them to the police. Italian media reports that the pair were then fined £390 each and were ordered by authorities to leave the World Heritage city for 48 hours.

Security councillor Elisabetta Pesce told Il Gazzettino: "I thank the gondoliers for their cooperation and timely reporting."

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Swimming in Venice's 150 canals is strictly prohibited, in large part due to the dangers of the gondolas and motorboats that pass through the water. The floating city is crisscrossed by more than 150 canals and 400 bridges. Many of these were inlets that were turned into canals in the 5th century when inhabitants from the mainland first settled there.

While it might be possible to hop into the drink for a quick dip in one of the smaller waterways on the outskirts of the city, launching yourself into the Grand Canal – or Canalasso, as the locals call it – is going to be a little harder.

The central canal runs for 3km, forming a giant 'S' from the Santa Lucia train station to St. Mark’s Square and the beautiful church of Santa Maria della Salute. It’s also a major traffic artery lined with more than 170 buildings, including many of Venice’s architectural landmarks.

Swimming is also prohibited to protect people from pollution. Venice doesn’t have sewage pipes or conduits, as installing them would require raising the entire city by half a meter. While many houses are now equipped with septic tanks, most of the wastewater still ends up in the canals. The tides flush it out into the sea twice a day.

The case has sparked anger from supporters of the action group Venice is not Disneyland. Some locals are demanding higher fines for those who break the swimming rules and a permanent ban from the city for transgressors.

This is not the first time that tourists have been caught jumping into Venice's canals. In 2023, the mayor of Venice tweeted a video of a man jumping from a three-storey building into the water. The public official branded him an "idiot".

Five years earlier, tourists jumped from the Rialto Bridge late at night, cheered on by their friends. In 2016 a New Zealand man received treatment in hospital when he hit a water taxi after diving off a bridge.

Two German tourists were filmed swimming in the Grand Canal under the iconic Rialto Bridge in 2020, just as the Italian city was taken out of lockdown.