Woman followed by group of wild boar in area north of Rome.

A woman carrying groceries back to her car was surrounded by a group of wild boar which proceeded to 'steal' her shopping bags and eat the contents.

The footage was filmed in a supermarket car park at Le Rughe, in the Formello area north of the capital, and posted on social media by the 'Welcome to Favelas' page.

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The fearless animals - four adults and two young cinghiali - cornered the woman who gave up without much of a fight as her groceries were snatched and promptly eaten.

The incident is described as an extreme example of the 'problematic' presence of wild boar in the area, with the animals becoming increasingly daring in their quest for food.

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Wild boar are a frequent sight in some Rome suburbs, particularly in the north of Rome, and often rummage in bins for food waste.

They also present authorities with the difficulty in how to 'control' their numbers, with the animals sometimes trapped and sent to breeding farms (for food) or hunting farms.

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Last October animal rights activists protested over the shooting dead of a wild boar mother and piglets in a children's playground in Rome, an incident that led to international headlines.

Italy has an estimated population of one million wild boar. The tusked animals can weigh up to 140 kg and are extremely dangerous if disturbed while with their young.