Now THAT's poor driving! Trucker gets 13-ton HGV wedged in narrow alley blindly following satnav
This lorry driver became the laughing stock of a rural village when he drove down a narrow lane and became wedged between two buildings.
His vehicle was emblazoned with the word 'Phenomenal' - but his driving was anything but, as he became the latest victim of excessive faith in the power of satnav.
The trucker was meant to be delivering soft drinks to a convenience store in the small town of Bruton, Somerset, and was looking for a parking space when he turned the 13-tonne HGV into the alley.
Caught: The lorry driver is pictured sitting in his cab just after the 13-tonne HGV became wedged in the narrow lane in Bruton, Somerset
Phenomenally foolish: The driver blindly followed his satnav even when it led him down this tiny alley
Blindly following his satnav, the driver continued down the ever-narrowing lane until he found himself completely wedged between an estate agency and a house earlier this week.
He was unable to reverse back up the lane due to its steep incline and was forced to sleep in his truck overnight while his bosses at Ian Crank Soft Drinks worked out how to free the vehicle.
Mike Clifford, landlord at the nearby Sun Inn, said: 'It was a very stupid thing to do and the locals thought he was a bit of an idiot for doing it.
'Even if the lorry could fit through the exit he wouldn't have been able to turn without hitting the side of the property.'
Wedged: The lorry is stuck thrusting out into the main street of Bruton. Its wing mirrors were folded in as it came down the alley
Rescue attempts: The hapless driver had to sleep in his cab overnight as plans were hatched on how to remove his vehicle. He became the butt of much humour in the local pub
Destructive: The lorry caused damage to the wall of one of the buildings in Bruton as it became wedged, even though its wing mirrors were folded in
Mr Clifford said the hapless trucker was ruthlessly teased by locals when he popped into the pub.
He said: 'Very little happens in Bruton, so this event was the talk of the town and the driver got ripped to pieces by the locals when he came into the pub.
'When he asked where the toilets were a lot of people started giving him directions and telling him to shout if he got stuck in there.
'It was all very good-humoured banter and the driver took it well although I'm not sure his boss will be thinking the same.'
A rescue team arrived the following day and spent six hours towing the lorry back up the slope, causing minor damage to the properties, which had already suffered some damage on the way down.
Ian Crank, boss of Ian Crank Soft Drinks in Merthyr Tydfil in South Wales, said the driver has now been suspended.
He added: 'The driver used a satnav that directed him down the road.
'I can't accept that as an excuse.'
It could have been worse. In 2007, a Czech lorry driver had to sleep in the cab of his vehicle for three nights when his satnav led him astray in the Devon countryside as his English was not good enough to ask directions.
And last year a motorist nearly drowned after her satnav led her through a ford which had become flooded after heavy rains.
Rescuers warned at the time that drivers should pay careful attention to road signs, rather than unthinkingly following their satnav.
In February of this year, the Government launched an attempt to end the curse of satnav blunders on country lanes by promising to give councils the ability to reclassify local roads so that they will no longer appear on automatically generated routes.
Peaceful again: The village of Bruton reverts to normal after the excitement of the wedged lorry. One local said: 'Very little happens in Bruton, so this was the talk of the town'
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