Glasgow ATM graffiti shows public free machines

The graffiti offers two free alternatives to customers. Picture: Hemedia

Instead of forking out £1.99 for each withdrawal at the pay point, Scots are being advised to take their business to free alternatives nearby.

A message scrawled beneath the ATM cash slot has been in place for at least three weeks.

It involves arrows pointing out a two-minute walk to a garage -- to the right and then left -- and a longer five-minute route to a Tesco supermarket -- to the left.

The Glasgow graffiti guide was photographed by Stephen Kirkwood, 25, who described it as “ordinary people helping each other out”.

The full-time music producer, of Dumbarton, said he first saw it three weeks ago, but only shared it on social media this week, reaching thousands within hours.

He said: “It’s a bit ridiculous but I thought it was quite funny.

“I saw this cash machine in Glasgow. Someone wrote directions to the next free machine on it.

“I think doing something like this sums up the city perfectly. It’s ordinary people helping each other out.

“Getting charged to take out your own money isn’t fair. The banks and businesses already take enough of it.

“But there is always a way around it and I think that has been proven here. There is definitely a funny side to this.”

The ATM near Charing Cross station, Glasgow, was yesterday still marked with directions.

A spokesman for Cashzone was unable to confirm whether the scrawl would be removed or whether the police had been informed.

He only said: “The ATM network in the UK works as a mix between free-to-use and pay-to-use ATMs in order to give people convenient access to cash at a variety of venues.

“Sites will fall into either category depending on how much the ATM is used.”