Google Street to cover 95% of UK

10 March 2010

Google Street View will cover more than 95% of the UK's roads from Thursday, the company has announced.

The new enhanced service will increase coverage by 210,000 miles of road, and includes Penzance and the Shetland Islands. It even features pedestrianised and tourist areas not reachable by car - shot by the Google tricycle - such as Stonehenge and Loch Ness.

Street View has attracted critics, mostly those wary that the information could be exploited by thieves and burglars. The internet giant has taken a number of steps to ease such fears, such as blurring faces and number plates and giving people the option to have their homes or cars removed from the street-level image.

The company hopes the service can be a useful tool for UK businesses, which will be able to embed the maps into their own website for free,

The launch of the extended version will see the UK catch up with Spain, France and Italy, all of which already boast national coverage.

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