Amazon Van Stranded After GPS Mishap on UK Mudflats

Clear Facts

• An Amazon delivery van got stuck on ancient mudflats in the UK after the driver followed GPS directions.
• The incident happened on The Broomway, a centuries-old footpath leading toward Foulness Island, which is Ministry of Defense property.
• Coastguards safely recovered the driver and vehicle, with no injuries reported.

An Amazon delivery attempt ended in trouble when a driver followed GPS guidance onto The Broomway, a six-mile path not meant for vehicles. The location, near Southend in the Thames Estuary, is known for its dangerous conditions and long history as a footpath.

The driver tried to reach Foulness Island, a restricted area managed by the UK Ministry of Defense and operated by the defense company QinetiQ. Access to the island requires going through a security office, rather than driving on the mudflats.

HM Coastguard Southend posted on Facebook that the driver and van nearly sank after “following a GPS route.”

“The Broomway route is not for vehicles and should only be walked on with a guide who knows the mud flats,” the post reads.

“It is an extremley (sic) dangerous area and is on MOD property only free to access when the firing ranges are not active and barrier is open,” the post continues.

An expert guide for the area known as the Thames Estuary Man warns on his website, “the Broomway path is is often referred to as the deadliest footpath in Britain because of parish records which attribute one hundred drownings” to it.

He adds, “There are areas of extremely soft mud, and the possibility of stumbling across unexploded ordinance if you stray from the path. The tide here comes in quickly and not always from the direction you expect so caution is essential.”

The incident left the driver shaken but uninjured, after the coastguards ensured a safe recovery.

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