The Home Counties aren't famed for riotous behaviour but, it seems, dissent is in the air and when the Google Street View car rolled into Broughton, near Milton Keynes, the residents didn't take it lying down.

The car carries a roof-mounted camera which records 360° views of the UK's streets for Google's interactive online maps, and, when it drove into Broughton, locals gathered to block its path until the driver drove away. The residents accused Google of invading their privacy and 'facilitating crime' by creating images that allow users to peer into their windows, making them ripe targets for theft. Google protests it is working fully within UK law and only films in public areas.

The BBC reports Thames Valley Police's statement: 'A squad car was sent to Broughton at 1020 BST on Wednesday to reports of a dispute between a crowd of people and a Google Street View contractor. A member of the public had called us to report that he, along with a number of others, were standing in the middle of the road preventing the car from moving forwards and taking photographs. They felt his presence was an intrusion of their privacy. When police arrived at the scene, the car had moved on.'