A Google Maps prank has thrown a quiet Welsh village into chaos after someone added a fake Aldi supermarket location, sending confused shoppers to an empty field.
The village of Cyffylliog has been inundated with visitors searching for the non-existent store, which was falsely listed on the popular navigation app.
The location, placed at Cae Gwyn Farm near Ruthin, has led to an “endless stream” of day-trippers and holidaymakers arriving at the rural spot.
Local residents have been dealing with bewildered visitors knocking on doors asking for directions to the phantom supermarket.
The village of Cyffylliog has been inundated with visitors searching for a non-existent Aldi (Stock Image)
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Delivery vehicles have also fallen victim to the misleading map pin, with grocery vans arriving in search of a non-existent loading dock.
One local resident reported on Facebook that even “a bloke with a pallet of bread who thought he’d been hired to stock shelves” had turned up at the location.
“If we had a pound for every car that’s shown up, we could’ve opened our own Aldi by now,” local resident Dafydd Hughes told News Rated.
The prank has particularly affected holidaymakers, with countless cars arriving only to find themselves lost on winding country roads.
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Real Aldi deliveries have even begun arriving at one farmer’s doorstep, causing further confusion in the community.
The most disruptive incident occurred when a Müller milk tanker became wedged on the county road near the village.
The lorry driver’s attempt to turn around on Allt Henblas led to hours of delays as the vehicle blocked the entire road.
A local farmer described the incident on Facebook: “Poor fella tried pulling up Allt Henblas and backing the trailer up our hill in a misguided attempt at turning around. Went down with a tractor but the fella had no idea where the towing eye was, so I left it to the experts.”
The fake Aldi location has since been removed from Google Maps following the disruption
Google Maps
The tanker nearly became stuck again while thanking residents after being rescued.
The fake Aldi location has since been removed from Google Maps following the disruption.
An Aldi spokesperson said: “Our understanding is that the incorrect Aldi store is no longer featured on Google Maps, so there is no risk of any further disruption.”
The incident highlights how easily locations can be added to Google Maps using the ‘Missing Place’ feature, which allows users to add new businesses with just a few clicks.
According to Google’s terms of service, adding fraudulent information to Maps is considered spam and can result in users being banned from the platform.