Their great white wings flapping, they swoop from the sky to steal food from diners’ plates, but the gulls of Venice may now have met their match: water pistols.

Exasperated with the marauding birds, which are not averse to snatching a slice of pizza from a tourist’s hands, hoteliers have taken to handing out water guns to their guests.

They say a well-aimed squirt is enough to deter even the greediest herring gull from dive-bombing an outdoor table full of dishes.

Some gulls are deterred just by the sight of a water pistol left resting on the table, according to hotel managers. Orange water weapons seem to be particularly dreaded by the beady-eyed birds.

Hotels with terraces along the banks of Venice’s canals are the most exposed to the gulls’ unwanted attention.

Paolo Lorenzoni, the director of the Gritti Palace hotel by the Grand Canal, said: “As soon as they see the water pistols, the gulls fly away. The colour orange seems to particularly bother them. Sometimes you don’t even have to use them. It’s enough to leave them on the table. 

“We’ve tried lots of other things. We had a fake owl, but the gulls just perched on top of it. Calling in a falconer every day is excessive and too expensive.”