Drivers forced to take the scenic route after Google sat nav glitch ‘deletes’ M4

MOTORISTS were left making 10-mile detours off the M4 when a Google Maps glitch appeared accidentally to delete a section of the motorway.

The error saw more than a mile of the westbound carriageway simply vanish on Thursday, with drivers directed to leave the motorway and take a detour through the countryside.

Members of the public first reported the problem on social media at around 2pm on Thursday.

One said: “While it looks like a glitch, I tried to drive the M4 westbound earlier. The westbound lanes have actually been removed, meaning I ended up in a field by Parkfield Colliery Chimney.”

The glitch affects 1.5 miles of westbound carriageway between junction 19 and junction 18, just north-east of Bristol where the motorway passes the village of Pucklechurch in south Gloucestershire.

People travelling from London towards Cardiff or Bristol were directed by Google Maps’ navigation to leave the motorway at junction 18 and take the winding B4465 into Bristol. The section of the M4 is still on the map, but appeared to have been edited so that it no longer appears as a motorway.

Instead, it shows up as a tiny country lane. The satellite view remains unaffected.

A spokesman for Highways England confirmed that the M4 did still exist between junctions 18 and 19.

He said: “We are not aware of any issues associated with this, but have alerted Google in order for the issue to be resolved.”

Google has declined to comment.