Police in the Australian town of Mildura are warning motorists that using the Apple Maps app on iTunes can be potentially 'life threatening'. Authorities issued the warning after several motorists who were trying to find the town were found lost in dangerously high temperatures.

Victoria police issued a warning via their official website saying: "Some of the motorists located by police have been stranded for up to 24 hours without food or water and have walked long distances through dangerous terrain to get phone reception,"

"Anyone travelling to Mildura or other locations within Victoria should rely on other forms of mapping until this matter is rectified," they added.

Apple Maps was released bundled into iOS 6 for Apple's mobile devices earlier this year, replacing the very reliable Google Maps, which had been part of Apple's mobile platform since 2007. Apple Maps was slated by users on its released, with consumers complaining that landmarks, railways stations and even whole towns were either mis-placed on the maps or missing altogether. The app came under such heavy criticism that Apple CEO Tim Cook issued a formal apology for its shortcomings.