Chiswick Bridge 'disappears' from Google Maps

A bridge in west London mysteriously vanished from Google Maps at the weekend.

Chiswick Bridge, which crosses the Thames around Mortlake, could not be found on the maps feature at all - despite the fact the bridge was still in use, the BBC reported.

While the bridge was off radar, the satnav route planner option was sending drivers on a diverted route that took them over Kew Bridge instead, resulting in an unnecessary detour of around five miles.

The live CCTV feed that is provided by Transport for London seemed to show that the bridge was still available for use throughout the duration of its online disappearance, the Standard reports.

The bridge eventually reappeared on the map two days later, on Monday.

Rob Oxley, a BBC Travel reporter, told the BBC: "I went to check something on the map and I noticed that it had vanished."

He added: "It actually could have sent anyone who relied on Google Maps for directions on a long diversion."

In 2014, residents of Basingstoke were bemused to discover that the Hampshire town was missing from Google Maps in what seemed to be a technical issue, the Metro reports.

The town was still present on the map but was marked as 'Town Centre' rather than Basingstoke.

A similar incident took place back in 2010 when the city of Sunrise in Florida disappeared from Google Maps, CNN reported.

Those searching for the city were re-directed to Sarasota which, despite being in Florida as well, is 200 miles away from Sunrise.

At the time, Google told CNN: "We've built our map from a combination of authoritative sources, ranging from the U.S. Census Bureau to commercial data providers, and have used satellite, aerial and Street View imagery to help complete the map."

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