Lights, camera, FINED! Hundreds of Glasgow bus lane fines handed out by accident

More than 800 drivers diverted for a Hollywood movie picked up £60 penalty notices because the cameras were left on.

Roads officials suspended the restriction on cars and vans passing through the Nelson Mandela bus gate to allow other streets to be shut off for filming ‘Hobbs and Shaw’ starring Idris Elba and Jason Statham.

Unfortunately, the camera which normally catches motorists resulting in a £60 fine kept whirring away – and 817 individual demands for cash have started appearing on door mats.

The fine can rise to £90 if it goes unpaid after a month.

One motorist has just had his fine ripped up by the council after he submitted an appeal.

He said:”I just wonder how many people just paid up and didn’t appeal?

“I was puzzled when it came in because I clearly remembered the signage saying the bus lane was suspended.

“This is not the way to run a road system, when you’re firing out fines that weren’t meant to be issued.

“At the end of the day, we pay enough in terms of parking fees in Glasgow without having rogue fines issued just because someone didn’t do their job properly.

“It’s a shambles.”

The council shut off a series of streets around George Square between October 23 and 29 to allow 200 film crew and actors shoot scenes for the movie, due out next year.

The high-octane Universal Pictures film stars Jason Statham, Dwayne Johnson and Idris Elba in a spin-off from the ‘Fast and The Furious” franchise.

Glasgow City Council has been keen to develop its status as one of the most popular urban film sets in the country, advertising a free liaison service to movie producers.

Roads laid out on a ‘grid’ system have helped it double as Philadelphia, New York, San Francisco and London for a host of Tinseltown productions,

The council’s own Film Office says it can service “a vibrant post-production and facilities sector” as well as council help on “road closures and traffic management.”

The October shoot is expected to provide a seven-figure shot in the arm to the city’s hotels, restaurant and hospitality industries.

Glasgow council depute leader David McDonald said:”It is great to see another major film production coming to Glasgow, another example of the confidence the industry has in the city's ability to host shoots of this size.

“The council's Glasgow Film Office has been working closely with the production to identify locations and making sure the shoot goes as smoothly as possible, while minimising the impact on the daily life of the city.

“Major productions such as this bring a great boost to the local economy.

“Glasgow loves cinema, and it is good to know that we will see the streets of the city shown all over the world when this film is released.”

Glasgow has previously been used by the Fast and the Furious franchise to shoot car chase scenes in the city centre. In the summer of 2012, night-time road closures were put in place in Cadogan Street, Wellington Street and The Broomielaw for spectacular stunts in ‘Fast and the Furious 6”.

Last year, US-style street signs and post boxes were erected in the city’s Bothwell Street to turn Glasgow into 1980’s New York for the SKY Atlantic drama ‘Patrick Melrose’ starring Benedict Cumberbatch.

The council believe the mix-up happened when one of the production crew wrongly changed a street notice, on just one day of filming, diverting motorists into Nelson Mandela Place

A spokesman for Glasgow City Council said:” A total of 817 notices were issued in that bus lane in W George St/Nelson Mandela Square on 28 October.

“All have been cancelled and we have contacted those affected to apologise.”

• The Nelson Mandela bus gate caught out 22,317 drivers in 2017, producing income for the council of £1.3 million.