British tourists face £430 fines for breaching new list of Italian beach etiquette rules

British tourists are facing heavy fines for breaching a list of Italian beach etiquette rules, which include eating an ice cream or a sandwich.

Residents and tourists in Sant’Antioco, a town on an island of the same name in southern Sardinia, were shocked by the catalogue of 23 activities that are prohibited on the beach.

The list includes taking part in sports, using stones to stabilise a sunshade and consuming any type of food.

The regulations, set in place by Ignazio Locci, mayor of Sant’Antioco, state the maximum charge for eating is £430.

Residents and media in the town, which is a popular destination for foreign holidaymakers and Italians, have criticised the restrictions.

An unnamed male resident of Sant’Antioco told local media: ‘This means we are prevented from eating anything even if we spend the whole day on the beach? My kids and I can’t buy some ice cream and eat it under our sunshade?’

A mother from the town said: ‘This means I can’t provide my girl with a snack when she joins the town’s holiday camp for kids? That’s a bit weird.’

But Locci said: ‘If it can help in making people stick to the rules then yes, I am absolutely against the fact that you eat anything on the beach.

‘We continue to see lunches by the sea with banquets featuring huge watermelons, lasagne and sliced bread.’

He added: ‘I acknowledge that the ban may appear exaggerated. But in just appealing to common sense, our eyes have often been closed on too many fronts.’

The new beach bylaw makes ‘having a picnic’ a punishable offence. But the ruling also warns those who just have a snack or an ice cream without leaving any waste would be asked to pay up too.

The new rules also state it is forbidden to set up tents or gather umbrellas.