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Amazon van following GPS drives off walking path into ‘extremely dangerous’ mudflat

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Published  February 17, 2026 5:10pm EST
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FOX Local
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FILE - A man walks with his dog along Chalkwell beach seafront at low tide during a mild and sunny day on Nov. 13, 2025 in Southend-on-Sea, England. (Photo by John Keeble/Getty Images)

The Brief

    • An Amazon delivery driver became stranded in a mudflat in the Thames Estuary after mistakenly following GPS directions onto a historic walking path.
    • The driver had attempted to reach Foulness Island by driving onto The Broomway, a dangerous tidal route not suitable for vehicles.
    • Coastguard officials warned the area is extremely hazardous and restricted, noting it was the second such incident reported that week.

An Amazon delivery driver got a bit confused and ended up getting stuck in a mudflat while following their GPS over the weekend. 

The van has since been recovered. 

Dig deeper:

The HM Coastguard Southend in the United Kingdom got reports of an Amazon van sitting in the middle of the Thames Estuary near Southend on Feb. 15.

The driver was headed to Foulness Island and mistakenly drove onto The Broomway, which is a 600-year-old 6-mile-long walking path that connects the shore near Southend-on-Sea to Foulness Island, according to a BBC report. The Island is home to the Ministry of Defence’s firing range. 

During low tide, the mudflats are exposed but the full route is not suitable for vehicles or people unless accompanied by a guide. 

Since 1919, 100 people have died on The Broomway, according to records obtained by the BBC.  

What they're saying:

"The Broomway route is not for vehicles and should only be walked on with a guide who knows the mud flats. It is an extremely dangerous area and is on MOD property only free to access when the firing ranges are not active and barrier is open," the coastguard said in its Facebook post.

This isn’t the first time this has happened. 

Security guards working for QinetiQ, the company in charge of the firing range on Foulness Island on behalf of the Ministry of Defence, told Your Southend, this was the second time someone drove out into the estuary that week. 

The Source: Information for this article was taken from reporting by the BBC, Your Southend and a post published by the HM Coastguard Southend on Feb. 15, 2026. This story was reported from San Jose. 

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