A BANK has launched an investigation after customer's confidential details were found blowing in the wind.

Among the information in the 60-page HSBC document were credit card applications, overdraft review dates, photocopies of passports, driving licences, bank account sort codes and account numbers.

The papers, which relate to current accounts and applications, were found by children playing in a road in Sale.

Their mother, Lynne Stewart, aged 47, is waiting for police to collect the information.

She said: "I would be extremely worried and angry if I was a customer. This is just the type of stuff criminal gangs would love to get their hands on."

There are fears too that some of the information could have blown away in the recent high winds.

Found

The papers were found by her nine-year-old daughter, Jessica, and her son, Reece, aged 12.

Mrs Stewart said: "Reece had been to get his ball back after it bounced into a sub-station and saw a pile on top of the transformer. They were blowing around in a gale. Jessica grabbed one as it blew past her and showed it to me.

"I have counted at least 15 pages of lists of names and account details before you even start to talk about letters applying for credit cards and photocopies of personal documents."

It is thought the documents contained information on customers from branches in Wigan.

One of the victims said: "I can't believe it. The first I knew was when I was contacted by the person who found them."It is unforgivable that the bank would lose such confidential details and then fail to tell its clients what had happened."

A spokesman for HSBC said: "We are investigating. The security of our customers' personal information is of paramount importance and we have stringent procedures in place to guard against their loss. Without speculating on how this occurred, something has clearly gone wrong, and we are extremely disappointed to hear of these particular circumstances."