Sat nav error takes mum and kids into "uncharted territory"

I entered a small "road" after instruction from my sat nav to "turn left to access motorway"! Once I have turned there was a sign which read authorised users only, and another which said CCTV in operation for fly tipping. Once in this "road" I continued approx 200yds round a corner and found myself on the M40 slip road, have I committed any offence? I was really lost, with three kids in the car, and just didn't know where I was.

Satellite navigation system "mistakes" have been the cause of some mirth in the newspapers but we are familiar with this location and the "road" you turned into has now been declassified as a highway and remains as an access route for farmers, police, and as gravel and grit storage for road service providers. The Satnav would not recognise the turn you took as a road at all - indeed the turn the SatNav requested you to make was on to the slip road which is further on.

Declassified roads are rarely used and are frequently spotted as easy locations for dumping by fly tippers. It is likely that the CCTV sign was erected as a deterrent. You have not committed an offence (unless you were flytipping) and any case would likely have to proceed in the civil courts on the grounds of a trespass case brought by the landowner. That would imply that damage had been caused. Such a case would be very unlikely to be brought and would be even more unlikely to succeed in your particular case.

You might write to the appropriate local authority relating your experience and request they make the signage clearer at the entrance to prevent other SatNavers having a similar experience.

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