A former bank worker is taking on her old employer in a row over charges.

Jayne Cornford has made a formal complaint against Barclays Bank who she used to work for.

She said she was disgusted by the way they had handled her account and called in a debt collection agency.

Miss Cornford, of Hurstpierpoint, worked out the bank charged her up to £4,500 over the last six years for going overdrawn.

Like thousands of other frustrated bank customers, she is trying to get the money back.

She said: "I tried to claim back some bank charges and was offered £1,000 in a full and final settlement.

"I didn't think this was a particularly fair offer and so the deal did not go ahead.

"I then wrote back to Barclays and requested all my bank statements over the last six years, or a more acceptable offer.

"They ignored me so I wrote again. They ignored me again, and again.

"I used to actually work for the bank which I think is why I was even more disgusted at the way I was being treated.

"They then had the cheek to send my details to a debt collection agency with regards to my overdraft after totally ignoring my offer of organising a repayment plan whilst the case was going through."

Miss Cornford, 24, wrote a final letter to Barclays enclosing copies of previous correspondence, and sent it to two different addresses.

The bank replied and told her she would have a response by May 8.

Miss Cornford, who works as a customer care representative for National Homebuyers, added: "I am so disgusted with the way I have been treated, I have also lodged a formal complaint with the financial ombudsman.

"Banks are quick enough to ask us for money, but they don't like things being the other way around.

"I work in customer care now and know this is not the way to treat people."

She opened an account with Barclays around six years ago when she got a job with them as a machine room assistant processing cheques.

She said her overdraft continued to get bigger because of the charges they continued to make.

Banks levy charges of up to £38 on unauthorised overdrafts, bounced cheques and standing orders.

Consumer watchdogs argue banks are within their rights to charge but the amount is too high.

They say the fees do not reflect the true cost of administering overdrafts, which is thought to be around £4.

The Office of Fair Trading is investigating.

Barclays Bank was unavailable for comment.