What kind of fuel would drive a lorry down here?

A French lorry driver caused £100,000 of damage to a London street after using the wrong kind of satnav.

The truck's tank was pierced by a bollard and spilled 600 litres of diesel after it was sent down the Fulham street by a computer meant for a car and not a lorry. The road has a 7ft width restriction but driver Eric Boulonne ploughed on with his 44-tonne, 8ft-wide juggernaut.

Yesterday's spill means 300 yards of Hurlingham Road, where houses sell for up to £1.8 million, will have to be resurfaced.

Hammersmith & Fulham council plans to recover the cost from the French haulage firm, Savel. A spokesman said: "We are flabbergasted by this hair-brained action. There's a sign which says how wide the restrictions are."

Mr Boulonne, of Arras, said: "My GPS is for a car not a lorry. I saw the posts and thought I could get through but ... bang. I would like to say sorry to the residents for the pollution.

"They were very nice and offered me coffee. I called my boss but luckily he just said, 'C'est la vie'."

Mr Boulonne, 41, and his cargo of steel, was a few hundred yards from his destination, a building site next to Parsons Green Tube station.