Italy's bulldozer blitz on Roma

The assault came after the capital's far-right mayor Gianni Alemanno pledged to "control our territory" by razing all Gypsy camps to the ground.

The excavators ripped through makeshift shelters of scrap wood and corrugated iron at the camp in Quartaccio as children played nearby.

Around 20 people living in the shanty town accepted the offer of voluntary repatriation to their home countries, according to local sources.

Mr Alemanno has announced that all Roma camps in the capital would be demolished next week.

He also pleadged that all migrants without residence papers would be deported.

"People who have arrived in Rome must be able to support and house themselves adequately, otherwise they have to leave," the former fascist declared as he unveiled "Operation Nomad."

In neighbouring France 128 camps were destroyed last month and 977 Roma people deported to Romania and Bulgaria.

This sparked criticism from the United Nations, which questioned the legality of the moves.

Opposition politicians described the policy as "revolting."

But Mr Alemanno argued that France's policy towards Roma people was "unconvincing and weak."

He declared that the state "must be able to keep its territory under control."