I READ Mike Laycock's article on bizarre events at Abbey with wry amusement (October 20).

In August 2003 I paid for car insurance with Direct Line over the telephone using a debit card on my Abbey current account. Unknown to me, a direct debit was created authorising payment of the following year's premium.

In August I was informed by the bank I was overdrawn. Two direct debits had been raised, the bank paid the smaller of the two and rejected the larger.

On complaining to both Abbey and Direct Line about the unauthorised direct debit they both told me this was "standard business practice."

My monthly statement carries a demand for £20 for an unauthorised overdraft of £10.71 and a further £32 for the rejected demand!

In October this year I inspected two accounts with Abbey which I access through the Internet, where I found two unauthorised mandates to pay money to an unknown third party: £2,800 was drawn on one account and £1,800 on another. I reported this to the bank and the police; the bank froze the two accounts making it impossible to access what was left in the accounts.

I was informed that the bank would open a new account and transfer the assets of the frozen accounts. After eight days we received debit cards which allowed access to the new account from which we drew £250 to find that this had put us in overdraft. The bank informed me that there was no money in the new account but it had a £2,800 overdraft facility.

Another visit to the bank and the assets, including repayment of the fraudulently removed £3,600 were transferred to the new account. To date I have been informed twice that direct debits have been cancelled along with requests to rectify the situation.

J Smith,

Willow Glade,

New Lane,

Huntington,

York.

Updated: 11:42 Tuesday, November 09, 2004