Sat-navs threaten damage to ancient buildings

Satellite navigation systems are posing a threat to Britain’s ancient bridges, roads and buildings as increasing numbers of drivers are directed to use lanes and country roads never designed for heavy vehicles.

Examples of damage highlighted in the latest issue of Cornerstone, the members’ magazine of SPAB (The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings) include:

Lorries believed to have been using sat nav devices recently damaged the 200-year-old bridge over the river Ock at Charney Bassett in Oxfordshire as well as striking the ancient railings around Ock Green.
A 300-year-old cottage near Ashton Under Lyne, Greater Manchester was wrecked when a trucker blindly followed his sat nav down a narrow country lane to escape the busy A627 At Pevensey Castle in East Sussex there are reports of damage to the Roman foundations following an increase in the number of lorries being guided along the nearby B2191 by sat nav technology. The problem at Pevensey has become so acute that residents are hoping to fight back by invoking the powers of the 1207 Pevensey Charter which could allow them to close the road through the village - on Sundays at least.

SPAB secretary Phillip Venning said: “Blind reliance on satellite navigation is fast becoming a serious issue for old buildings as motorists are directed to use ancient lanes and narrow country roads that might even have posed for a problem for horse-drawn carriages. The result is thousands of pounds worth of damage to historic structures which have, until recently, stood the test of time.”

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