EAGLE-EYED people in Chard have reported sightings of a mysterious black car with a bizarre contraption on its roof driving through the town.

But despite looking like the world’s most lost submarine, the vehicle is actually one of the Google Street View cars out taking photographs of the local area.

Google Street View involves cars with panoramic cameras on the roof taking sequential images of roads and streets, then stitching together the images to provide 360-degree horizontal and 290-degree vertical panoramic views.

Both popular and controversial, Google Street View exists for many major cities, including Bristol and Southampton, but has sparked arguments over right to people’s right to privacy.

The ‘snoopcars’ as they are often called have been spotted in Chard High Street, Fore Street as well as housing estates near Manor Court Primary School.

If you spot any of the ‘snoopcars’ in the area, please contact the News and tell us about it, or see if you can ‘snoop the snoopcar’ and get a photo of one.

You can send any photos to newsdesk@chardandilminsternews.co.uk, or drop them in at our offices in Chard.

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