Water in the lagoon city of Venice has risen to 140 centimetres above sea level, following days of continuous rain.

Some 58 percent of the city has been covered by flood water, with St Mark's Square nesting under 60 cm of rain.

Tourists could be seen wading through thigh-deep water as rain kept battering the square, whilst many shops, basements and buildings have been flooded.

While the canal city is used to high waters, they are putting the delicate system of the city under heavy stress, with the situation having been classified as "exceptional".