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Fake Aldi on Google Maps wreaks 'havoc' on village

Getty Images An Aldi supermarket signGetty Images
People have been travelling to Cyffylliog in Denbighshire looking to do their shopping at an Aldi which does not exist

A non-existent Aldi has wreaked havoc on a rural village after mysteriously appearing on Google Maps.

People in Cyffylliog, Denbighshire, said a stream of cars had come through the area and a milk tanker got stuck after a pin was added saying Aldi had a store there.

While some residents in the village of 500 people acknowledged the funny side of the mishap, others said it was very "serious".

Google said the listing had been updated and it "worked around the clock" to rectify suspicious behaviour.

A farm below Cyffylliog's name was changed to show an Aldi store there, prompting many people to show up in recent weeks looking to do their weekly shop.

It is not known if it is an error or a wind-up, but Aldi's own website still has the wrong location listed on its map.

But navigating the rural windy roads can be difficult, especially for one milk tanker which became stuck on a narrow bend.

Llinos Watkin Jones, who was looking after her daughter's house in the village, said: "It is a small village and it does cause havoc because when we get big lorries through and they get stuck it causes problems for us."

Google On the left is a Google Maps view of the area with an Aldi symbol, and on the right is the view of the same view on Maps now, with Cae Gwyn Farm in place of AldiGoogle
The Aldi which previously showed on Google Maps (left) has since been removed (right)

Ms Watkin Jones said the tanker had also ripped an overhead electricity cable from her daughter's house when passing.

Councillor Elfed Williams acknowledged the humour, but said the apparent joke did have a serious side.

"Anybody who knows the area knows it's back roads and windy roads and really unsuitable for people to come along," he said.

"People have been bemused by not finding an Aldi store here... on one level it's amusing but on another level it is quite serious – where are the controls for Google to allow such a thing to happen?"

A snowy country road
Residents say their roads, like this one where a tanker became stuck, are not able to cope with pranks such as this

After a farmer helped the lorry driver become unstuck, the pin on Google Maps was taken down and the number of people travelling through Cyffylliog has returned to normal.

Google said: "Our automated systems and trained operators work around the clock to monitor maps for suspicious behaviour, including incorrect edits to places.

"We also make it easy for people to report misleading places and inappropriate content, which helps us keep the information on maps authentic and reliable."