BANK OF Ireland confirmed yesterday it is investigating a computer fault which led to a number of customers being double-charged on Laser card and ATM transactions yesterday afternoon.

The bank said it was unsure how many people were affected by the error, but that the fault had been rectified and all overcharged customers had been repaid.

A spokeswoman said the error may have left some customers without access to funds for a time. She declined to say how much money was involved.

She said the incident had not affected the payment of cheques or direct debits, and that no interest fees or charges would accrue to affected customers.

Customers who have questions about the error should contact Banking 365 on 1890 365 365, or contact their local branch.

Last month, a technical error at the bank led to 120,000 customers being charged twice on certain Laser card transactions. The double-charging occurred in transactions on a Friday that were duplicated overnight the next Monday.

Fine Gael deputy finance spokesman Kieran O’Donnell called on the Financial Regulator to investigate the second incident of overcharging on Laser payments involving Bank of Ireland. “It’s ironic that this happened while the Nama legislation is being scrutinised in the Dáil. The fact that Bank of Ireland accounts were overcharged on Laser payments, for the second time, shows the banking sector is still hopelessly out of touch,” he said.