A bungling bank sent a customer the details of almost 30 other account holders in a shocking breach of security that will fuel fears of identity fraud.

Matt Carr, 25, wrote to HSBC to demand a refund of £500 in overdraft charges after watching BBC2 documentary Bank Robbery.

But he was stunned to receive 29 responses to similar requests from across the country including the account holder's name, address, account number and sort code.

One letter contained the account holder's bank statements which they had provided in backing up their claim for a refund of their overdraft charges.

Mr Carr, of Chestnuts Close, Lindfield, near Haywards Heath, said: "I was shocked and stunned, I just could not believe what had happened.

"More importantly I feel sorry for all the other people knowing that I have got their details.

"If I was so inclined, which thankfully I'm not, I could easily make an absolute fortune using their bank details or selling them on the black market.

"How do I know one of these people have not got my details and are using them for ulterior things. There's 29 separate accounts, it's a massive error."

HSBC is believed to have accidentally sent out the details of account holders in London, Birmingham, Kent, Lincolnshire, Hertfordshire, West Yorkshire, Essex and Surrey.

All the letters are signed by Senior Service Quality Officer.

Mr Carr, a £15,000-a-year business support adviser, is currently £9,000 in debt and lives at home with parents Vince, a programme manager, and Sue, a housewife.

Mr Carr, is locked in a battle with HSBC over £500 in overdraft charges stretching back two years.

HSBC said in a statement: "We send millions of items of correspondence to customers each year and we have stringent procedures in place to guard against administrative errors such as this.

"Clearly, in this case there has been a breach of those procedures and a thorough investigation will be undertaken immediately.

"Customer confidentiality is of prime importance to us and we are extremely disappointed to hear of these particular circumstances.

"We would like to apologise to the customers involved, and we will be reviewing our processes to ensure this does not happen again."

* The Argus has been campaigning against unfair bank charges levied on people struggling with their overdrafts.

We have run a series of special features showing readers how to reclaim their money and have already seen success stories from people who took our advice.

For details on how to reclaim your money, visit www.theargus.co.uk