Stormont: Infrastructure minister's 'green' car caught on bus lane

Nichola Mallon plans to use an electric car as much as possible

The infrastructure minister's electric car has been spotted in a bus lane in rush hour traffic.

Nichola Mallon arrived at Stormont for her first executive meeting on 13 January in an electric car, which she said she would use "as much as possible" on official duties.

Her car was pictured on Monday morning crossing into a bus lane in Belfast.

The Belfast Telegraph reported that Ms Mallon was in the back seat at the time.

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The incident happened on the Shore Road in north Belfast.

In a statement, a departmental spokesman confirmed the incident had happened and was due to "human error".

"When making a left turn the driver mistakenly entered the bus lane too early," the spokesperson added.

"The driver has been reminded of the restrictions in relation to bus lanes and asked to ensure this does not happen again and the department apologises."