Italian cops catch British woman, 20, scribbling name on to Florence’s ancient Ponte Vecchio bridge

A British woman was caught writing her name on a 678-year-old Italian bridge and forced to wash it off, police said.

The tourist, 20, was caught scribbling her initials in pen on the Ponte Vecchio on Tuesday morning in Florence, Italy, before she was forced to wash it off and fined £140.

It comes after a Bulgarian gym instructor from Bristol was filmed carving his initials into the 2,000-year-old Colosseum in Rome last month.

The Ponte Vecchio is a 98ft landmark crossing the Arno River, with a famously narrow and the cobblestoned walkway lined with shops.

The original bridge was built in 996 and finished in 1345, but has since been swept away by floods and rebuilt several times over.

The tourist, 20, was caught scribbling her initials on the Ponte Vecchio (pictured) on Tuesday morning in Florence, Italy, before she was forced to wash it off and fined £137

And in January, an American tourist was fined £430 after attempting to cross the same famous Italian bridge in a rented Fiat Panda.

The Californian man, who was not identified, was reportedly searching for a parking spot.

In June, shameless Ivan Dimitrov, 27, was caught red-handed as he scratched his name and that of his girlfriend Hayley Bracey, 33, into a wall at the famous tourist site.

The couple were on the first leg of a three-week European holiday while their house was being renovated, and he was filmed by an outraged American tourist who posted footage online that went viral.

In what officials have described as a ‘surreal’ letter to the mayor of Rome, police and the authorities at the Colosseum, Dimitrov has now apologised for what he did, revealing his ignorance in the process.

He wrote: ‘Aware of the seriousness of the committed act, with these lines, I wish to address my most heartfelt and honest apologies to the Italians and to the whole world for the damage caused to an asset which, in fact, is the heritage of all humanity.

Ivan Dimitrov (pictured), 27, said he only learned of the ‘antiquity’ of the Colosseum after he was caught red-handed carving his and his girlfriend’s names into the monument’s wall

Gym instructor Ivan Dimitrov, 27, and his girlfriend Hayley Bracey, 33

‘I admit with profound embarrassment that only after what regretfully happened did I learn of the antiquity of the monument.

‘The council with dedication, care and sacrifice guards the inestimable historical and artistic value of the Colosseum.’

A passer-by filmed the tourist as he carved the names into the stone walls of the 1,937-year-old building using a set of keys.

Dimitrov can be seen scratching ‘Ivan + Hayley 23’ into one of the bricks on June 23.

The video was shared on Reddit with the caption: ‘A******e tourist carves name in Colosseum in Rome.’

In the video, the English-speaking man filming the footage says: ‘Are you serious, man? That is f***ed up, man. Stupid a******e.’

Reddit users called on the poster to send the video to police so the vandal could be arrested.

In a statement at the time, Italy’s Minister of Culture, Gennaro Sangiuliano, said: ‘I consider it very serious, unworthy and a sign of great incivility that a tourist defaces one of the most famous places in the world, a historical heritage such as the Colosseum, to engrave the name of his fiancée.

‘I hope that whoever made this gesture at the Flavian Amphitheatre will be identified and sanctioned according to our laws.’

Rome vandal Ivan Dimitrov poses with his girlfriend Hayley Bracey in a gym

A still image from footage of him desecrating the Colosseum. He faces a possible fine of up to 15,000 euros and could be jailed for between two and five years when the case comes to court