Italy has launched a crackdown on tourists who hog sunloungers and umbrellas on public beaches along the country's 4,700-mile-long coastline.n
Those who refuse to comply with the new initiative, dubbed operation Safe Sea, will face fines of €200 ($220) issued by seaside officials and municipal police.
On Saturday, the Livorno coastguard in western Tuscany seized 37 deck and beach chairs, 30 umbrellas, towels and even some bathing suits, according to a report in newspaper La Repubblica. The Tuscan town of Cecina has banned anyone from leaving their belongings on the beach before 8.30 a.m.
The move is not the first time that Italian authorities have taken action against holidaymakers. In 2007, coastguard officials at a resort in Liguria, northwestern Italy, fined six middle-aged tourists about €1,000 ($1,100) after they left ten towels on the beach before 6 a.m.
Reserving a spot on the beach ahead of time is a local tradition that dates back to the end of World War II. After that conflict, tourists started travelling to Italy again and competition for deckchairs and umbrellas soon became fierce.
"One of the objectives is to protect the community from all forms of abuse which limits the right of use [of] the sea and the beaches," an operation Safe Sea spokesperson said.
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