Watch: Tourists surf on Venice's Grand Canal, mayor calls them 'arrogant idiots'

(Screengrab from video tweeted by @LuigiBrugnaro)

The mayor of Venice on Wednesday denounced "two idiots" who were filmed water skiing down the Grand Canal, offering dinner to whoever identified them.

Later, after his Twitter appeal went viral, Luigi Brugnaro announced that the pair had been found and their boards confiscated, and said they would be dealt with "as they deserve".

Ecco due imbecilli prepotenti che si fanno beffa della Città… chiedo a tutti di aiutarci a individuarli per punirli anche se le nostre armi sono davvero spuntate… servono urgentemente più poteri ai Sindaci in tema di sicurezza pubblica!
A chi li individua offro una cena! pic.twitter.com/DV2ONO3hUs

— Luigi Brugnaro (@LuigiBrugnaro) August 17, 2022

"Here are two arrogant idiots who are making a mockery of the city," Brugnaro wrote, posting a video showing two young men on boards being pulled by a boat down the canal, the Italian city's most famous waterway.

"I'm offering dinner to those who identify them!" he said.

However, he seemed to admit he could do little to stop such joyriders, saying: "We urgently need more powers for mayors in terms of public security."

After turning into a ghost town during the coronavirus lockdown, Venice is once again thronged with tourists and its canals are busy with boat traffic.