Italy circus lion on the run

Residents of an Italian town near Rome were told to stay at home on Saturday after a lion escaped from a local circus.

Alessandro Grando, mayor of Ladispoli, issued the warning on social media, saying police were helping circus staff search for the animal.

"A lion escaped from the circus," he wrote, saying it had been traced to the watercourse next to the site.

"Please pay full attention and avoid travel until further notice."

Anticipating residents' complaints, he said he had not authorised the presence of a circus with lions in the town, but he did not have the power to block it.