Mystery of phantom Google village

On the trail of Argleton in West Lancashire

Close to the town of Ormskirk, according to Google Maps, a new village has appeared.

Locals say they've never heard of Argleton, which Google lists as having several buildings, situated south west of Ormskirk.

Searches for the village show images of local buildings and put the village close to Aughton station.

A statement from Google says "While the vast majority of this information is correct there are occasional errors."

"It's possible to do a Google search and find this place called Argleton," says Roy Bayfield from nearby Edge Hill University.

"You can see things listed there such as chiropractors and dating agencies."

It's thought the village may be similar to a 'trap street' which are fictitious roads included by map makers to catch out copyright infringements.

The presence of a 'trap street' on a copied map would enable the designers to prove the theft of their material.