A British hiker was hit with a huge £12,200 bill after Italian emergency rescue services saved him from an avalanche on a rocky mountain, blaming Brexit for the lofty fine.
The 60-year-old found himself in danger as he came across an avalanche on a mountain path near the San Vito di Cadore in the Belluno area of the Dolomites.
The hiker was lucky to survive, according to emergency services, who blamed the British national for failing to heed mountain warning signs urging climbers to turn back on the steep mountain.
He would have also footed a smaller bill had the ordeal happened before Britain exited the European Union, rescue services said.
The British man was hiking on the Ferrata Berti path at a height of 8,200ft (2,500m), even though there were signs in English and Italian urging hikers to turn back.
