A bus driver has reclaimed more than £2,000 in "unfair" fees from his bank.

Stuart Matthews, who works for Brighton and Hove Bus and Coach Company, complained to HSBC about the amount it had charged him for going overdrawn.

He added up the charges on his statements during the last six years and worked out he had paid £2,485.

HSBC offered him a settlement of £2,097 and he accepted.

Mr Matthews, 40, said: "When I saw that you could reclaim your bank charges I thought I might as well go for it. I'd got nothing to lose.

"The bank made me an offer and I thought about it before accepting it.

"I thought they were being quite sensible and it was a reasonable offer. If they'd only offered a little amount, I don't think I'd have accepted. It's a good amount for me."

He has been with HSBC bank for more than 20 years and is thinking about using the refund for a summer holiday.

Mr Matthews, of Kingsbury Street, Brighton, is now reclaiming another £485 he has been charged this year.

He has been encouraging his colleagues to fight for a bank refund too.

The Office for Fair Trading (OFT) is investigating whether banks have been breaking the law with their charges.

Consumer action groups claim the fees are too high and are a rip off for customers.

They say the charges - levied against overdrafts, bounced cheques and standing orders - are a way of propping up bank profits.

A report by the OFT is expected to find bank charges do not reflect the true cost of administering overdrafts.

It will advise banks to set more realistic charges, reflecting the cost of producing a computer-generated letter.

Some banks charge up to £38 each time a customer goes a few pence into the red.

Mr Matthews said: "When someone goes overdrawn the bank sends them a letter and charges for it. It doesn't cost £38 to produce a letter and post it.

"At the most, it should be around £5. That would be a much fairer charge."

Angry customers from Sussex have already claimed back thousands of pounds following a landmark case where a student won £5,000 from Abbey, which had charged him £32 in fees for going overdrawn by 5p.

The Argus launched a Beat The Banks campaign in January to help readers reclaim their money.

We printed a free step by step guide which has helped people win back thousands of pounds.

Visit www.theargus.co.uk/news/reclaimyourbankcharges for more information.

Have you been hit by unfair bank charges you want to claim back? Have you beaten the bank? Tell Rachel Fitch on 01273 544536 or leave your comments below.