A GOOGLE car that takes photographs of people’s homes without their knowledge or consent has been unleashed on the Swindon area.

Mystified residents going about their daily tasks spotted the black Astra with a super camera attached to its roof in Highworth and on the A420.

The car, emblazoned with the Google logo, has been visiting Swindon on its tour of Europe, after successfully launching Street View software in the US.

The programme will allow web users to take visual tours of individual streets and homes throughout Great Britain.

However, some believe the new software is an invasion of privacy and believe criminals will be able to use it to view people’s homes and cars.

Robert Feal-Martinez, UKIP’s South Swindon Parliamentary candidate, says he is outraged by the technology as he believes it has numerous privacy implications for the people of Swindon.

He said: “My personal view is that it’s an intrusion of people’s privacy.

“This kind of thing makes property vulnerable – criminals will be able to tell what kind of security system you have on your home, and if in fact it is real or a fake.”

He added it has been suggested to him before that criminals have already invested in Google Earth, another software which allows people to zoom in on their homes from space, to target people’s property.

However, Google said their work is completely legal and they continue to obey all laws concerning privacy.

A spokesman said: “Yes, we’re taking photographs to bring the Street View product to Europe.

“Users will be able to explore the beautiful cities of Europe right from their desks.

”We will not launch in UK until we are comfortable Street View complies with local law, including law relating to the display of images of individuals. “We will use technology, like face-blurring, licence plate blurring and operational controls, such as image removal tools, so Street View remains useful and in keeping with local norms wherever it is available.”