Unlucky brake after beauty spot journey goes over the top...
A DRIVER was handed a hefty fine for travelling from Edinburgh to a Highland beauty spot – where her car then plunged into a river.
The 37-year-old was given a fixed penalty notice for a breach of the Covid rules by travelling to Glen Nevis, Inverness-shire, nearly 100 miles from the capital.
A major recovery operation was launched on Sunday after the handbrake of the car was left off and it rolled over the edge and into the River Nevis.
The red Volkswagen up! was eventually hauled out of the river after a lengthy recovery operation. No one was in the vehicle at the time.
Images taken on Sunday afternoon show a large crane and rescue teams hoisting the heavily damage car from the river.
A Police Scotland spokesman said: ‘We were made aware of a car having entered the River Nevis in Glen Nevis shortly after 8.35am on Sunday.
‘The car was unoccupied at the time and no one was injured.
‘The car has since been recovered from the river.
‘A 37-year-old woman was issued with a fixed penalty notice in connection with a breach of coronavirus regulations.’
Local Highland councillor Duncan MacPherson said: ‘The owners of this VW car left the handbrake off when they got out of the car near the Lower Falls in Glen Nevis, Fort William.
‘They got charged for breaking Covid lockdown rules, as they had travelled all the way to Glen Nevis in Fort William from Edinburgh.
‘That wouldn’t have improved their day, added to the cost of recovering their car from the freezing water of the River Nevis.’