Scotland was gripped by Justin Bieber fever on Thursday as thousands of fans flocked to his first show in the country.

Many fans were camped outside the venue from the early morning hours with deck chairs and sleeping bags as they prepared for the long wait before doors opened.

And there will be no let-up over the weekend as Bieber plays three massive shows at Glasgow's SSE Hydro arena.

Some dedicated fans made sure they were at the arena before sunrise to ensure a place at the front of the queue.

Deborah Laurie, 21, a student from Glasgow, arrived at the venue shortly before 6am with best friend Kirsty Thomson, 19, and little cousin Kiela Trotter, 16, from Lenzie, East Dunbartonshire.

The trio, all huge fans of Bieber, were making the first of three trips to see the singer in Glasgow.

Deborah said: "We got here shortly before 6am and we made sure we were awake by around quarter to five in the morning.

"We wanted to make sure we were here really early to get a good place in the queue and thankfully we managed to be the first ones here.

"I am a massive fan of Justin Bieber and I've been following him since the very beginning.

"I've already seen him twice before, once in Newcastle and once in London. This is the first time he's come to Scotland though and I'm going to all three shows.

"We are all in the VIP area tonight as I bought the tickets as a birthday present to myself. Over the next two shows we'll be in the normal standing area.

"We want to make sure that we are right up the front near the stage, that's why we are queuing here so early in the morning.

"There are too many songs of his that I love so picking a favourite is quite difficult. I would say that I love the song 'Purpose' from his latest album."

Fans queuing up early had to be moved into a tunnel overpass of the nearby Clydebank expressway to protect them from the weather.

But for some people in the queue, that wasn't such a bad thing.

Rachel Roger, from Perth, was in the queue with her daughter Caitlin, 15, niece Rebecca Roger, 15, and their friends Abbie McPartlin, 15, and Charlie Gallagher, 14.

She said: "The weather was getting quite bad so guys from the venue came out and told us all to go in the tunnel.

"None of the girls are bothered though, they're just too excited for the show."

Rachel was there with her sister Charlene Longden to accompany the girls to the show, but admitted they quite liked listening to Bieber's music as well.

She said: "We have been here since around 10am, the girls wanted to get here even earlier but we told them to calm down.

"My sister and I like Justin Bieber as well but we would never admit to that.

"My daughter got her tickets for Christmas last year and she and her cousin and their friends all absolutely love him.

"I think their aim is to try and get right up to the barrier so that they can be as close to the stage and to Justin as possible.

"They are all really excited for the show."

Fans had even travelled to Glasgow from as far away as Spain and France to see the show.

Bieber is currently on a worldwide tour in support of the release of his latest album 'Purpose'.