Authorities in Venice have been accused of transforming the famous lagoon city into a 'theme park' as a long-mooted entrance fee for day trippers comes into force.

Venice is the first major city in the world to enact such a scheme. The €5 (£4.30) charge, which comes into force today, is aimed at protecting the Unesco world heritage site from the effects of excessive tourism by deterring day trippers and, according to the mayor, Luigi Brugnaro, making the city 'liveable' again. But several residents’ committees and associations held protests on Thursday, arguing that the fee would do nothing to resolve the issue.

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