Satellite navigation technology is supposed to offer drivers the quickest route
A mistake in satellite navigation software is causing chaos in the Yorkshire Dales

Sat-nav sends drivers down Crackpot route

Motorists risk 100ft drop as sat-nav kit points the wrong way

Written by Matt Chapman

A mistake in satellite navigation software is sending drivers down a route in the town of Crackpot in North Yorkshire that has a 100ft cliff on one side. 

The technology is supposed to offer drivers the quickest route to Wensleydale in the Yorkshire Dales, but the unclassified path it suggests is only suitable for 4x4 vehicles. 

Locals have noticed that the route has become more popular recently, and drivers are blaming their sat-nav systems for leading them to the road.

However, motorists have to ignore a sign warning that the route is a no-through road, and must open a farm gate to follow the track.

A farm owner whose land is at the start of the route said that extra warnings needed to be put up to deter normal vehicles.

"Besides anything else it is a very steep road and it's no joke," Steven Porter of Summer Lodge Farm told The Daily Telegraph. "It can only be a matter of time before someone goes over the edge of that drop."

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