inconvenience

Qatar Airways said it followed appropriate guidelines and apologised for "any inconvenience or distress this incident may have caused".

"We acknowledge the duration that traffic management has been in place for the safety of those using the bridge and apologise for any inconvenience."

The bank confirmed to the committee that it expects to pay between £5m and £7.5m in compensation to customers for "inconvenience or distress".

"The council, I remember, was dismissive. It felt like we were an inconvenience to them."

Many routinely posted that they were out of stock, and apologised for the inconvenience.