Elderly motorist drove for more than half-a-mile along canal towpath before realising his mistake

An elderly motorist was forced to abandon his car when he took a wrong turn onto a towpath, eventually ending up teetering on the edge of a canal. The man is thought to have got on to the towpath by driving down a ramp near a pub, and then continued for more than half-a-mile before finally coming to a rest at the water's edge.



The bemused 70-year-old then climbed out the passenger seat onto the riverbank and walked away. It is thought the pensioner was confused by the dark roads and turned his Vauxhall Astra down what he believed to be road near Devizes, Wiltshire. Wiltshire Police, who responded to the incident on the 200-year-old Kennet and Avon Canal, said the man had been reported for careless driving.



A spokesman said: "We were called to reports of a vehicle driving along a towpath in Devizes. We attended the incident and a 70-year-old man was subsequently reported for careless driving." The incident happened along the towpath, designed for horses to pull narrowboats during the Industrial Revolution, at around 11pm on Saturday night.



It is believed the embarrassed pensioner made an honest mistake and was apologetic to all involved. The car was removed by crane on Wednesday. The Canal and River Trust, who look after Britain's waterways, said: "We're really sorry that this person made a mistake and ended up in such a pickle. Canals are great places to spend some quality time and recharge your batteries. Normally people come by boat, on foot or on a leisurely bike ride. A Vauxhall Astra is a bit of a first."