The Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service (SCTS) has said it expects the “operational issues” to be resolved over the course of the week.

English company GEOAmey, which already provides prisoner escort and custody services in parts of England and Wales, took over from G4S on Monday after being the only company to bid for the £238 million contract.

Brian McConnachie QC told The Herald that his client’s trial in Glasgow High Court on Monday was delayed by over an hour, but added that he had experienced similar problems with G4S.

He said: “Over the course of this trial, if you added up all the time we have spent waiting for the accused to arrive we’ll have lost at least a day of court time … It’s a waste of time and a waste of money.

“On this trial there are three accused with senior and junior counsel, there’s a judge and a court clerk. That adds up to about £15,000 to £20,000 a day by the time you take court costs into consideration.”

Liam McAllister, partner at Lefevre Litigation, said Aberdeen Sheriff Court was still waiting for people arrested over the weekend to be brought to court at 6pm on Monday.

A spokesperson for the SCTS said: “Given the scale and complexity of the contract handover, and notwithstanding the significant amount of planning invested, some operational issues were to be expected.

“We are working closely with other justice partners and with the new contractor and fully expect these to reduce as this first week progresses.”