Badly parked electric scooters example of "urban anarchy" in Rome, claims Codacons.

Italian consumer rights group Codacons has filed a complaint with Rome's public prosecutor's office over electric scooters blocking pedestrians from using a pavement in the city centre.

Codacons say that the scooters, "thrown on the ground" at a bus stop on Via dei Prefetti, block the use of the sidewalk as well as creating inconvenience for passengers getting on and off the bus.

The consumer group has published a "shock video" of the situation and filed a complaint for "possible road blocking offences, attack on transport safety and interruption of public service," according to a statement.

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"This is yet another example of city degradation and urban anarchy, a shameful spectacle for the capital of Italy that highlights the neglect of the city," said Codacons president Carlo Rienzi.

Describing it as "certainly not a new phenomenon in Rome," Rienzi added that scooters left in this manner "puts at risk the safety of blind and disabled people."

Rienzi said that Codacons has asked the public prosecutor's office to open an investigation against the city, the sharing companies that manage the scooter rental services and the "drivers who have abandoned their vehicles in a wild way."

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Electric scooters have become hugely popular in Rome since they were introduced over the last couple of years, particularly with young people, providing a convenient way to get from A to B.

However the e-scooters are not without their critics who point to the everyday sight of users (illegally) carrying passengers, travelling at speed on sidewalks or in the wrong direction on streets, and the anti-social "parking" of scooters.

Photo and video by Codacons