Surfers on Venice's Grand Canal invoke mayor's wrath

Two surfers filmed whizzing along Venice's busiest canal have invoked the wrath of the city's mayor.

Videos of the two people foil surfing between boats and water buses on the Grand Canal sparked outrage after being posted online.

On Wednesday Mayor Luigi Brugnaro called for the pair to be punished, and even offered anyone who spotted them a free dinner.

The two have since been identified, he later tweeted.

Foil surfing is the sport of riding a surfboard which has a long rod attached to the board. They often also have electric-powered propellers built into their masts.

Surfing - along with sports such as paddle boarding and canoeing - is prohibited on Venice's Grand Canal.

But that did not stop two apparent water-sport enthusiasts from donning their boards in the city's historic centre.

In footage posted online, the two appear to be whizzing along on electric foil boards while onlookers on boats gawp at them. One of the surfers seems to be taking pictures of the surroundings on a mobile phone before falling into the water.

After videos of the two sparked some outrage online, Venice's mayor added to the flurry of disapproving comments by stating that the two had made a mockery of the city and appealed for help identifying them.

"To those who spot them, I offer dinner," he tweeted, describing them as "overbearing imbeciles".

A police investigation then opened, the Corriere del Veneto reported. And later on Mr Brugnaro tweeted once more saying that the two had been identified and their boards had been confiscated. He did not, however, mention whether he would be inviting anyone round for dinner.

The two people will face criminal charges relating to endangering the safety of navigation along the canal, Corriere del Veneto said.

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