Driving in Rome has been likened to the Dakar Rally after an unusual snow storm and weeks of rain turned the city into a slalom course of perilous potholes and gaping puddles.

Romans have responded to the crisis in characteristic fashion - with black humour and weary resignation.

Roads in the capital are, at the best of times, pitted and uneven, but heavy snowfall last month – the first for six years – and weeks of torrential rain have made existing potholes even worse.

“Some roads now bring to mind the Dakar Rally,” remarked Il Messagero, Rome’s daily newspaper.

Social media is replete with doctored images poking fun at the crisis, with one showing a crocodile emerging from a pothole and another depicting a Baywatch lifesaver in a red swimsuit running to the rescue of a person floundering in a deep puddle.

In another image that has gone viral, images of the cratered surfaces of Mars and the Moon are juxtaposed with a photo of a potholed road in the capital.