Poveglia was once both a quarantine station and a mass burial ground for 160,000 victims of the Black Plague (Picture: Getty)

An ‘island of death’ has experienced a surge of visitors after becoming a ‘dark tourist hotspot’.

Poveglia, which is an island in the Venetian Lagoon, was once both a quarantine station and a mass burial ground for 160,000 victims of the Black Plague.

If anyone showed any symptoms they were forced onto the island, with many being burned alive.

A mental hospital was later opened on the 18 acre land, where a doctor conducted lobotomies before jumping out of a bell tower, locals claim.

The area was eventually abandoned in 1986, but influencers are now flocking to ‘the world’s most haunted island’ to capture footage for views – despite no one being allowed to visit.

YouTube channel Yes Theory visited the site four years ago, and the three-person crew said it felt ‘very eerie’.

Matt Nadin, a salesman from Sheffield, posted footage of his trip to the island, Finders Beepers History Seekers.

He said: ‘It was really, really eerie. You could tell even the taxi driver was scared, not just of the police but of the place itself, he couldn’t get away quick enough.