Italian authorities plan to expand Venice's port into a busy shipping hub, further endangering the fragile lagoon and contributing to the sinking of the city, a conservation group said today.

Venice in Peril, a British fund working to preserve Venice, said a report it obtained from the local port authority showed plans to accommodate more and bigger ships in a bid to compete with other European harbours.

The Venice port authority confirmed it had written the report but insisted the works will respect the environment and are necessary to deal with the growing flow of tourists and goods.

The port authority is spending at least €260 million (£227 million) on dredging inlets and navigation channels to allow the passage of ships up to 400 metres long.

Dredging and heavy ship traffic are considered the most significant causes of the rising sea level in the shallow lagoon, which threatens the low-lying islands on which the historic city is built.

"Apart from environmental concerns ... the problem of high tide is accentuated, so it means more flooding for Venice," said Jane da Mosto, a researcher for Venice in Peril.

Under the combined effect of rising water levels and settling of the land, Venice has sunk 23 centimetres in the past 100 years.

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