This is the moment a red-faced lorry driver got himself in a tight spot – when his sat nav took him down a narrow country lane TWICE.
The driver was making deliveries in the Halfords lorry to stores in Bangor and Aberystwyth in North Wales after setting off from the base in Coventry.
But the electronic device led him along a narrow country road towards Beddgelert, near Snowdonia, instead of the wider A487 to Porthmadog.
The driver panicked when he realised he was going in the wrong direction and desperately tried a three point turn but got wedged between two stone walls either side of the road.
Shockingly, minutes earlier the same driver got stuck when he drove his lorry down another tight lane and was forced to stop before he drove over a Grade II listed stone bridge.
The lorry was stuck for two hours causing huge tailbacks while police officers helped him negotiate his huge lorry.
One witness said: ”The lorry driver was clearly embarrassed. He knocked over part of a wall when he was trying to reverse out.
”The wagon was stuck solid but it’s the driver’s fault for trying to drive along the roads that are clearly too narrow.”
Gwynedd county councillor Alwyn Gruffydd said: ”Signs have been put up warning drivers the road is unsuitable for large trucks. But these are ignored.
”It’s not good enough. When these trucks get stuck they cause damage to property and disrupt traffic.
”This truck twice disrupted traffic for lengthy periods.
”It appears the driver ignored a police warning to avoid the village.
”Legislation is now needed to ensure drivers can be dealt with if they transgress in this manner.”
Sharon Sanders, of Plas Tan y Graig, said: ”The bridge over the river is a Grade II listed structure designed for horses and carts, not these massive articulated lorries.
”The problem is drivers just follow their sat navs from Bangor to Tremadog.
”It’s quicker according to their sat nav, despite us all knowing the roads are way too narrow, and then when they get to Beddgelert they get stuck.”
A North Wales Police spokesman said: ”The driver damaged a wall turning round near Craflwyn, outside the village.
”Police officers attended and, after he completed the manoeuvre, warned him to avoid Beddgelert in future.”
Halfords today apologised for the incident.
A spokesman said: ”Halfords has strict procedures in place that normally ensure drivers use the most appropriate routes and avoid dangerous manoeuvres and unnecessary disruption to local communities.
”We take the matter very seriously and are carrying out a full review.”
SUE GARMIN