Google launches Street View in 25 UK cities

First launched in May 2007, Street View is now available in nine countries: the US, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, France, Spain, Italy, the UK and Netherlands.

It is also available in Google Earth and on Google Maps for Mobile.

Apart from the obvious benefits for consumers, companies can also use the technology to embed Google Maps directly into their sites for free, helping to promote their businesses.

Google UK has consulted extensively with many privacy and community groups in developing privacy safeguards, and Street View only contains imagery that is already visible from public roads, and features technology that blurs faces and licence plates.

In addition, any user can easily flag images for removal that he or she considers inappropriate by clicking on "Report a concern".

Google's biggest challenge in the UK was the British weather, which rarely shapes up to the optimum conditions for capturing Street View imagery, which are dry and slightly overcast skies.

The 25 UK cities now available in Street View are: Aberdeen, Belfast, Birmingham, Bradford, Bristol, Cambridge, Cardiff, Coventry, Derby, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Newcastle, Norwich, Nottingham, Oxford, Scunthorpe, Sheffield, Southampton, Swansea and York.

Street View partners in the UK include:

• Fancyapint.com – a free online pub guide providing reviews, ratings, photos, maps, directions, features listings and users' comments. Covers 3,000 pubs located predominately in London but is now expanding and will soon cover the rest of the UK.

• FindaProperty.com – a searchable property website for house-hunters looking to buy or rent. More than 650,000 properties listed.

• Visit Britain.com – promotes Britain as a world class tourist destination. It has representatives in 35 countries around the world and has expanded into India, China, throughout Eastern Europe and Southeast Asia.