Residents of Torver, near Coniston Water in the Lake District, said the lane often comes to a standstill as drivers argue over who should give way.

Several people driving wide vehicles have already become stuck.

Farmer Arnold Lancaster said that using the road does cut out a corner, but the "short cut" is more trouble than it is worth.

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He said: "One week we had three cars going one way and four the other. The lane's only wide enough for one car, so there was a debate about who was going to back up.

"I got out and asked what was going on and one of the drivers pointed to a little device on his dashboard.

"I asked what it was, and he told me it was a satellite navigation system."