Italy has come up with a drastic solution for dealing with the pothole-ridden roads of Rome – bring in the army.

The radical new measure has been put forward by Francesco Silvestri, an MP from the Five Star Movement, which makes up one half of Italy’s populist government along with the hard-Right League party.

Under the proposal, the army would be given the task of repairing around 125 miles of road in and around the capital, with a budget of €240 million.

“We’ll bring the technology of the engineering corps to the roads of Rome, to the benefit of Romans,” said Mr Silvestri. “It will be a revolution for the city.”

Virginia Raggi, the much-maligned mayor and a member of the Five Star Movement, who has been criticised for failing to tackle the city’s problems, hailed the proposal as “a great victory for Rome”.

The proposal will be discussed by parliament, but the fact that drafting in soldiers is being contemplated is a measure of how bad Rome’s roads are.