A DOUBLE-decker bus driver found himself in an embarrassing situation after wrongly turning into a tiny cobbled lane.

Residents in Clinkham Road, Great Harwood, have been plagued in the past by HGVs and vans which have been directed through the lane by sat navs as a shortcut from Edge End Road to Blackburn Old Road.

But even small cars struggle to navigate the narrow lane, which is not wide enough for oncoming vehicles to pass.

The latest mishap was caused when a private hire bus driver used Google Earth to map out his route before setting off yesterday.

After becoming trapped on the cobbles, the bus was on the lane from 10am for about an hour and a half.

Onlooker John Duckworth said: “It’s just a farm track and once he’d entered, it was impossible for him to get out again.

“He’d actually managed to get quite far up because he was past a very sharp bend that must have been almost impossible to get around.

"I’d just gone out to walk the dog and couldn’t believe it when I saw it because there are weight restriction signs at the entrance to the lane.”

Borough councillor Lynn Wil-son, who lives in Edge End Road, said: “There have been lots of complaints about damaged garden walls, pots and steps because the road just isn’t suitable.

“It causes a lot of problems because the only place to pass is at the farm entrances.

"The road is adjacent to a children’s park so I think the safety aspects do need to be looked at.”

The road was originally built for lime ponies to pull their carts.

A spokesman for Walton Swift Travel said: “The driver had used Google Earth to map out his route and there were cobbles at the side of the road, which meant he couldn’t get traction once he was on them.

“He managed to get out without any damage to the vehicle or any property, but it was a bit embarrassing for him. ”