Filming of James Nesbitt's new TV series sparked drama for all the wrong reasons when filming at a petrol station left motorists unable to fill their tanks.
The chaotic scenes unfolded at the fuel station in South London near The Houses of Parliament when production of Channel 4s Suspect shut down the filling station to the public for five hours - much to the frustration of drivers desperate to stay on the roads amid the fuel crisis.
But despite the upset the stars of the show carried on filming with James Nesbitt, who plays detective Danny Frater, pictured filling up a white BMW with fuel before remonstrating with other characters.
Other shots showed the Cold Feet actor sitting in the car in the drivers seat and cupping his hands appearing to light a cigarette.
The coned off forecourt and Londis kiosk was awash with production equipment including huge light stands for the evenings shoot.
Fellow cast members Sam Heughan and Imogen King were also spotted in action on the set.
One motorist told how the 24-hour Texaco garage had a lorry delivery at 11.30pm on Wednesday -as the UK is in the grips of severe fuel shortages - but just 30 minutes later No Entry signs went up until 5am.
Anthony Newland, 35, who works at the nearby Dumont apartment buildings, told The Sun: “It is totally wrong.
“Surely James Nesbitt and the others understand we are in the middle of a fuel nightmare.
“People need to fill up in real life. This is not make believe.
“It was unbelievable to turn away the public.”
But the show's production company told how they had pre-arranged filming at a number of locations including the filling station months in advance before the fuel shortage.
The gritty eight-part drama, which also stars Richard E Grant, Joely Richardson, Ben Miller and Anne-Marie Duff, follows the discovery of a body and Nesbitt's search to find out what happened.
A production spokesman for the drama said in a statement: ''The petrol station was booked as a filming location a number of weeks ago. The forecourt was used from midnight-5.00am on Thursday morning, during which time the area was safely cordoned off, with cast, crew and equipment clearly visible to drivers from a distance.’'
