Right place, wrong county

Numerous towns and villages sharing the same name are causing many motorists to waste valuable time on the road heading towards incorrect destinations, according to Trafficmaster.

The intelligent driving company says people often don’t realise there are towns and villages across the UK that share a name, but are located in completely different areas.

Trafficmaster research shows some of the most common names: there are 22 Suttons, 16 Cliftons and 15 Waltons in the UK, some of which are even situated in the same county as one another. Britain also boasts five Boltons, five Newcastles and four Burys.


Town name - Total number in UK - Comment

Sutton - 22 - Located across the UK, from Surrey to South Yorkshire

Clifton – 16 - A district of Bristol, also found in Cumbria, Yorkshire and Devon

Walton – 15 - Two are in West Yorkshire alone

Bridgend – 15 - A town in South Wales, but 12 others are in Scotland

Acton – 8 - Found in West London, Suffolk and Wrexham

To avoid confusion, Trafficmaster’s map database is continually updated with new roads, junctions and place names and the company’s Smartnav navigation and traffic service is supported 24/7 by a team of personal assistants, on hand to check addresses and plan the best routes. The team handles over 10,000 calls each day from motorists looking for the right destination, including:

A customer who arrived in Crawley and called looking for ‘Main Street’. Asking for the company name, the Smartnav Personal Assistant found it to be in Crawley, Winchester, 82 miles and 1½ hours’ drive from Crawley in West Sussex.

A customer who was heading to a town in Cornwall, then thought to check his route with Smartnav. On checking the postcode, the Smartnav PA discovered it related to a town of the same name in Wales.

A customer who set out on his journey from London to the West Country, then called for directions to "St Ives", only for the Smartnav PA to ask "Cornwall or Cambridgeshire…?"

Independent research has shown how drivers can save time, money and fuel by using satellite navigation and Trafficmaster offers the easiest way to check you have the right location. Overall, Trafficmaster customers report average savings of four hours a month, from avoiding jams, taking better routes and not getting lost.

Trafficmaster’s Head of Customer Service, Geraldine Fergie, explains: “In many cases, drivers set off without any directions or route plan, which often leads them down the wrong road and wastes time. For drivers on business, that can mean missed meetings or lost money too.”By taking further details or asking simple questions, we’re always able to help get drivers to their destination.”