AN ITALIAN town has been put on red alert after a lion escaped from a local circus.

Residents of Ladispoli, near Rome, were told to stay at home on Saturday after the beast went missing.

Videos have surfaced on social media of the lion, known as Kimba, prowling through local neighbourhoods.

Terrified onlookers have filmed the animal from inside the safety of their homes as it makes its way through the darkness.

One person even captured the lion walking past their car as flashing lights from emergency services can be seen in the background.

Three vets armed with rifles had shot the lion with a tranquilliser but failed to sedate it after it got up and walked off, according to local outlet Corriere della Sera.

That was at 3pm between Vialle Mediterraneo and Via Nicosia.

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Police and members of the circus then spent another several hours chasing the animal before eventually sedating it a second time, around 8:30pm.

However, the lion once again got up and limped off before disappearing.

At 10pm, seven hours after it’s escape, Kimba was finally captured after becoming stuck in a swamp along the Sanguinara stream, according to local media.

It’s claimed that the lion had made an attempt to return to the area of the circus, where it was eventually caught.

Authorities are now looking into how the animal escaped from its cage at the Rony Roller circus.

Alessandro Grando, mayor of Ladispoli, issued a warning to local residents 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 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.