VENICE has suffered the worst week of flooding in its history as a third tidal surge sees water levels break records.

The ongoing floods have seen waters reach 150cm three times in one week for the first time since records began in 1872.

15 Sites across Venice, including the iconic St Mark's square, have been submerged in flooding Credit: Reuters

15 Locals sit in a flooded cafe Credit: EPA

15 The waters have seen emergency measures across the city Credit: Reuters

Historic cities on Italy's mainland, including Florence and Pisa, are now also bracing themselves for floods after torrential rains saw levels rise on the River Arno.

Tuscany's president has said that boards were being installed on the swollen banks of the river, while paratroopers have also been drafted in to bolster defences in certain areas.

Officials closed historic St. Mark's Square and stacked sandbags against the Basilica to block salt-laden water from bursting in to the crypt again.

Despite tourist shops and museums shutting their doors around the famous square, tourists donned knee-high rubber boots to wade through the flooded scene - and take plenty of selfies.

Suddenly a big wave burst in to the house and all the electricity went off. Mario Scarpa, Pellestrina

Mayor Luigi Brugnaro, who has also been appointed special commissioner to address the situation, appealed to his city's people not to give up hope.

"Venetians only get on their knees to pray," he said.

But as hundreds of voluntary workers helped citizens cope with the flooding emergency, residents living further from St Mark's Square said they felt abandoned.

Sky News reports that those living in Pellestrina island - the thin stretch of land which forms a barrier between the Venetian lagoon and the Adriatic Sea - say they are living in a nightmare.

15 A man with a giant mask stands close to Rialto bridge during an exceptionally high tide on November 17 Credit: Getty - Contributor

15 In normal conditions, tides of 80-90 cm are generally seen as high but manageable Credit: Rex Features

15 The city is beloved around the world for its canals, historic architecture and art Credit: Getty - Contributor

15 Venice was hit on Sunday by a record third exceptional tide in the same week Credit: Rex Features

Vincenzo Vianello, 90, said he feared a repeat of a massive flood in 1966 which swamped the whole island.

He said: "We lost the fridge and kitchen that time, and the same has happened again this time - everything in the house was flooded, we had to throw everything again."

Fellow resident Mario Scarpa said that in the middle of the night, "suddenly a big wave burst in to the house and all the electricity went off".

He broke his foot in his desperation to save his kitchen and appliances from the deluge.

'COST WILL BE HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS'

Last week's high point saw around 80 per cent of the Unesco World Heritage city submerged.

In Venice's tourist centre, many store owners in the swanky area around St. Mark's emptied their shops.

Others tried to protect their wares by placing them as high as possible and used water pumping machines to clear out their shops.

In one luxury boutique, employees used water vacuums and big squeegee mops to keep the brackish lagoon waters from advancing.

Why has Venice been flooding? St Mark's Square - Venice's centrepiece - now floods more than 60 times annually. This is up from four times a year in 1900. Some researchers have warned that Venice will disappear by the year 2100, write oceanography experts Carl Amos and Georg Umgiesser in The Conversation. They say that the increase in flooding is "due to the combined effects of land subsidence, causing the city to sink, and climate change causing the global sea level to rise." The city's solution, Moses, an unfinished scheme of 78 storm gates, "is likely to cause damage to the ecological health of the surrounding lagoon, and could have no effect on Venice's preservation". Venice is built on 118 small islands drained by a network of canals, and located within a tidal lagoon. Its sea level has risen by a total of 26cm since 1870. Plus the sea level is still increasing by 2.4mm a year, the experts say, damaging the city's buildings with salt and damp. They warn: "As a result, with a sea level rise of 50cm, the storm gates will need to close almost daily to protect the city from flooding."

Tides have risen above 140cm several times since Monday, including Tuesday's high tide of 187cm (6.14ft).

In normal conditions, tides of 80-90 cm are seen as high but manageable.

Venice's mayor has estimated that the flooding damage will run into hundreds of millions of Euros.

Italian officials have declared a state of emergency for the area.

They say Venice is both sinking into the mud and facing rising sea levels due to climate change.

Most read in world news CORONA COUP Chinese propaganda 'tricked the world into lockdown to cause economic suicide' CREEPY CRAWLERS Dozens of horrifying 3ft-long robber crabs invade family's campsite BBQ POOL TRAGEDY Brit holidaymaker dies after she was pulled lifeless from Lanzarote hotel pool FIT AND FIFTY 'World’s hottest gran' celebrates 50th as fans praise her youthful looks OUT OF THIS WORLD Man transforms into 'alien' after having nose REMOVED & splitting tongue LASHED TO BITS Paedo collapses as he’s caned 52 times after being sentenced to 169 lashes

It doesn't help that the city's Moses flood defence project is still not operational despite nearly two decades of construction.

The corruption-riddled underwater barrier system has sucked up at least five billion euros of public funding and was supposed to be working by 2011.

15 Venice floods 2019: Tourists are seen in flooded St. Mark's Square in Venice Credit: EPA

15 Venice floods 2019: Venice suffered another exceptional high tide on Sunday, with the water peaking at 150 cm Credit: Getty - Contributor

15 Venice floods 2019: Residents try to ignore the flood and enjoy a card game in the water-filled street Credit: Rex Features

15 Tourists donned high rubber boots or even hip waders to witness and photograph the spectacle Credit: EPA

15 The Venice sea level has risen by a total of 26cm since 1870 Credit: Rex Features

15 Hundreds of voluntary workers have been helping people cope Credit: Getty - Contributor

15 Some cafes and bakeries continued trading despite the deluge Credit: Rex Features

15 Stores and museums in Venice were mostly closed in the hardest-hit area around St. Mark's Square Credit: Getty - Contributor

We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at tips@the-sun.co.uk or call 0207 782 4368 . We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours.