A MOTORIST who rushed to his dying mother-in-law's bedside on Christmas day was hit with a fine for driving in a part-time bus lane.

Jack and Mary Wilson, who live in West Yorkshire, had just taken their turkey out of the oven when they received a call to tell them Mary's mother Jessie Bateman was seriously ill and they immediately set off on a 220-mile trip north.

The couple, who are originally from the city but now live in Leeds, were anxious to get to the 86-year-old's side at her Drumchapel care home and drove through the bus lane on Great Western Road, which is only operational during rush hour.

But as there were no buses on the road on Christmas Day, Mr Wilson did not think it would be an issue.

Ms Bateman sadly passed away two days later on December 27. And after Mr and Mrs Wilson returned home, they received a penalty notice from Glasgow City Council.

The bus lane camera on Great Western Road captured their Volkswagen Golf in the lane at 6.18pm on December 25 and the picture showed just one other car on the opposite side of the very quiet road.

Mr Wilson, 65, said: "I visit Glasgow regularly and I am aware of the bus lanes. I did not know cameras were in operation on Christmas Day. And under the circumstances, we had other things on our minds."

He added: "We received the penalty notice on January 21 and, as you can imagine, we were not best pleased. If there are no buses on the road on Christmas Day then the traffic management argument cannot be used by the council to justify the cameras. So I can only assume they are intended to catch people out and make money."

We told you recently how council Scrooges had nabbed 370 motorists driving in bus lanes on Christmas and New Year's Day, despite there being no buses on the roads. The local authority stands to make at least £11,100 from the fines over the two days.

Mr Wilson has lodged an appeal with the council on January 21 and attached a copy of his mother-in-law's death certificate. He received an email telling him that he would hear back within 20 working days. He still hadn't had a response six weeks later.

But after the Evening Times contacted Glasgow City Council, Mr Wilson received an email to tell him his appeal "is being reviewed further" and also apologising for the delay in the outcome of the appeal.

A council spokesman said: "Mr Wilson's appeal is due to be reviewed early next month."