A French juggernaut became lodged in a private driveway in Manton for more than five hours on Monday after the driver relied on his sat nav to get him round a traffic jam.

The trucker was attempting to turn round in the drive of the house in Bergamot Close when the 12-wheeled lorry stuck fast with its wheels unable to get any grip on the gravel surface.

Neighbour Roger Trevarthen, who took the photographs of the stricken lorry, said it became stuck at about 3pm and was not pulled free until about 9.30pm.

He said the driver was too embarrassed to accept the drinks of coffee that he and other neighbours offered during the drama.

The driver had been heading towards the South coast docks and had re-set his sat nav when he discovered that the A346 Burbage road had tailbacks three or four miles long because traffic lights had failed at roadworks at the Wharf bridges.

Following his sat nav instructions, the driver was trying to find the alternative road via Pewsey and Amesbury but was unable to go through Pewsey Road in Marlborough because of the bridge reconstruction work.

Insted, his sat nav sent him to Manton where the lane Manton Drove connects with the A345 Pewsey Road. However, it currently has an HGV ban because of damage caused by lorries while Pewsey Road, Marlborough is out of action.

Mr Trevarthen said: “When the driver got to the Drove it’s signed ‘No HGVs’ so he decided to use Bergamot Close to turn round. But once down the close he couldn’t back up because the load in the rear of trailer was lifting the load on the cab drive wheels so they wouldn’t grip. By the time he’d figured out the problem he was stuck.”

The driver’s firm was unable to send a recovery vehicle and it was left to the police to get one and, under the glare of emergency lights, the truck was finally pulled free.

The lorry chewed up the shared gravel drive leading to two houses, one of them the home of town councillor Rich Pitts and his wife, Judy.

Mr Pitts was away on business when he received a phone call from his wife to say the family was unable to use the drive because there lorry stuck on it.

Speaking from Italy, Coun Pitts said: “I hear our drive has been ruined. From what Judy tells me it’s a bit of a mess.”