WHEN businesswoman Michelle Gordine asked her local bank for a new cheque book she got a big surprise – four sacks containing 200 cheque books! Considering she only uses two cheque books a year it would have taken 100 years to use them all up. But she got

WHEN businesswoman Michelle Gordine asked her local bank for a new cheque book she got a big surprise - four sacks containing 200 cheque books!

Considering she only uses two cheque books a year it would have taken 100 years to use them all up.

But she got another shock when she told the HSBC about its error and an official asked if she would mind taking them to her nearest branch.

Michelle, 36, of Silver Birch Avenue, Stotfold, who normally uses the HSBC branches in Biggleswade and Letchworth GC, told the bank to make an appointment with her to collect the bags and until they do they will remain piled up in her conservatory.

"It was my daughter Maisy's and my birthday at the weekend.

"My husband, who is a local postman, said he had a surprise for me but I would never believe what it was so I was looking forward to him coming home," said Michelle who runs a dance and drama school in Letchworth GC.

"Unfortunately I was greeted by four sacks all containing cheque books and when we emptied them all there were 200. I was staggered a bank could make such an error.

"They blamed a computer error for the mistake and apologised but my husband estimated it had cost £100 to send them all. What a waste of customers' money."

An HSBC spokesman said: "HSBC always likes to ensure our customers never run out of cheques!

"Seriously, this was a rare human error for which we have now apologised to the customer.