So many tourists are sailing rental boats into bridges in the village of Giethoorn that the council is taking steps to protect them from damage, local broadcaster RTV Oost said on Wednesday.

The council is placing extra beams to stop boats bumping into the historic bridges as tourists tour the narrow canals. In total, 45 bridges will be given protection.

Giethoorn is an extremely popular tourist destination, particularly with visitors from Asia and some 200,000 Chinese nationals visit the town every year.

The village itself, also known as the Venice of the North, has 2,600 inhabitants. A large part of its built-up area is only accessible by footpath or boat.