A sat-nav sign of the times

Road signs warning motorists they could end up in deep water if they trust their sat-nav systems have appeared alongside a Shropshire road notorious for sending drivers the wrong way.The new signposts along the A442 south of Quatt, near Hampton Loade, tell drivers there is an error with satellite navigation systems which tell them that they can cross the River Severn at a bridge which has not been there since World War One.

The warning is also spelt out with a "dead end" sign and one telling motorists that crossing is via a walk-on ferry only.

Dave Browning, landlord of the River and Rail pub at Hampton Loade, said the signs went up following pressure put on highways chiefs by local councillors after scores of vehicles were sent on a wild goose chase by their hi-tech mapping gadgets. Mr Browning said he regularly pointed confused drivers in the right direction.

"The signs went up about two weeks ago because a lot of vehicles were coming here with sat-navs that were pointing them towards the ford bridge, where they think they can cross.

"There used to be a bridge in 1918 but it has not been here since the First World War - they blew it up because they thought the Germans might get across.

"People come in regularly saying 'how can we get across to the railway and I say you can use the foot ferry when it's working but you won't get a car across."