Driver with terrifying fear of BRIDGES rescued by police after his sat-nav took him to the Dartford Crossing by mistake A driver who is terrified of bridges and tunnels called 999 after his sat-nav wrongly directed him to the Dartford Crossing and he realised he couldn't turn back. The man, from Essex, pleaded with police to rescue him after pulling over to the hard shoulder on junction 1A of the A282 on the approach road to the crossing, which can only be negotiated by bridge or tunnel. According to police, the motorist had tried to programme his sat-nav to avoid all tunnels and bridges, but had somehow bungled after being directed to the Thames crossing. Stopped in his tracks: A driver with a fear of tunnels and bridges made a desperate 999 call for a police escort after suffering a panic attack when his sat-nav wrongly directed him to the Dartford Crossing (above) Fear factor: After waiting for police for more than two hours, an officer eventually persuaded the driver to sit in the passenger seat while he drove his car through the tunnel (above) to Essex Gephyrophobia is an anxiety disorder brought about by the fear of bridges. It is not an isolated phobia, but usually forms part of a larger web of fears which can include falling or travelling on roads. Symptoms can range from feeling light-headed and a racing heart and feeling trapped and panic attacks. There is no official term for a fear of tunnels, but it is often diagnosed as agoraphobia, where a sufferer perceives the environment as being difficult to escape, or claustrophobia, a fear of small spaces, depending on where the fear stems from. The £2-a-time crossing is used by 160,000 vehicles each day and at the time of the incident - 9.30am on Monday - was "exceptionally busy." The driver is believed to have suffered a panic attack after realising there was "no other way" to go and called 999 from his mobile for help, telling officers he suffered from gephyrophobia and a fear of tunnels. Gephyrophobia is a fear of bridges and is often combined with a fear of tunnels, normally associated to agoraphobia or claustrophobia. The driver had to wait more than two hours before a police escort arrived, with the officer persuading the driver to sit in the passenger seat while he drove his car through the tunnel to Essex. Led astray: The motorist had apparently tried to programme his sat-nav to avoid all tunnels and bridges, but this had somehow gone wrong (file picture) Essex Police confirmed that they spoke to the man at 9.30am who told them he was "unable to proceed" and had parked on the hard shoulder before an officer got him across the tunnel at 11.57am. A spokesman for Kent Police said: 'We were called at 9.30am on March 4 by a driver on the hard shoulder of the A282 approaching the Dartford river crossing by J1A who had been directed by his sat nav to drive over the crossing. However, due to a phobia of bridges, the driver was unable to proceed but, due to his location, was unable to turn back. The force control room operator reassured the driver on the phone while a patrol located him and drove his car through the tunnel for him. The driver was on his way by 11.57am.