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Venice authorities have denied a plan to reduce noise pollution would include a ban on wheelie suitcases in the city.

Government officials have reassured visitors to Venice that they will be able to use suitcases with hard wheels and said the ban will instead affect commercial trolleys. 

Vittorio Zappalorto, Venice's special commissioner, said that suitcases do damage cobbles and bridges, but said the city was stopping short of an outright ban.

Officials have said the focus is on commercial trolleys and not tourists' wheelie suitcases

Increased numbers of visitors to Venice is seeing many of the structures become overused

It was believed that visitors trundling wheelie suitcases will be fined up to 500 euros, beginning in May 2015, to limit noise pollution on the historic canal bridges.

Speaking to The Local, Mr Zappalorto said: 'I want to deny with the greatest firmness that the city of Venice has ever considered banning wheeled suitcases.

'Certainly the rigid wheels contribute to damaging the alleys, piazzas and particularly the bridges due to the continual battering caused by lifting them up and down. But that does not mean to say that the council will ban their use.'

Officials in Venice have moved to stress that tourists using wheelie suitcases throughout the city will not incur a fine of 500 euros 

This comes after a series of attempts by the city to limit the impact of tourists that visit each year

Officials in Venice are exploring a number of measures to maintain and improve tourist hotspots in Venice

Mr Zappalorto also stressed that the regulations will only affect heavier commercial trolleys that are run through the town at all hours.  

The news followed a series of attempts to limit the impact of the 20 million tourists that visit Venice every year.

Earlier this year the city launched a campaign discouraging couples from attaching padlocks to the city's bridges as a symbol of love, claiming the old structures are too fragile to cope with the weight.

Workmen this summer removed some 20,000 'love locks' from the Rialto and Accademia bridges.

Residents have said that more action is needed to protect some of the historic walkways and buildings

Time for new luggage! Tourists heading to Venice are now banned from trundling wheelie bags over the historic canals

And last year authorities imposed a strict crackdown on water traffic.

After a series of complaints about drunkenness, gondoliers are now subject to alcohol and drug tests and must use GPS devices and number plates.

Venice City Council said in a statement: 'The rules respond to the needs of many residents who have complained to the authorities in recent years about serious discomfort in their homes linked to the movement of goods at times protected by legislation such as at night and in the early morning.'

'There are also numerous worrying signs of deterioration and wear to paving stones and bridges previously unharmed for hundreds of years.'

City official Maurizio Dorigo admitted the rules were currently a little impractical as suitcases with inflatable wheels did not yet exist, as far as he knew.

He said: 'Hopefully a company will start producing suitcases with inflatable tyres. We've got till next May. Someone will be able to design and sell them by then.'