BANK OF Ireland is investigating a technical error which led to some customers being charged twice on certain transactions purchased using their Laser cards over recent days.

The bank said that the error had led to the balances on customers’ accounts being affected through the double charges, but that all customers affected by the error would be repaid by last night.

“Bank of Ireland is aware of an issue that has affected some Laser card transactions and has resulted in a duplication of transactions in some instance,” the bank said in a statement.

“The cause of the problem is now being fully investigated and any customers with duplicate transactions will be resolved by tonight.”

A spokeswoman for the bank said that she was unable to say how customers had been affected by the error, but that she believed that the customers affected were from across the State and not from one particular area.

The bank said that transactions normally first appear on online banking accounts without reference to the retailer or service provider and that details of the outlet appear on the account at a later time. The error at the bank has led to some accounts appearing to be charged twice for the same transaction. The spokeswoman said that the bank’s staff discovered the error over the weekend and that they were working on fixing the problem.

Customers’ accounts were being readjusted “in batches” correcting their account balances, the spokeswoman for the bank said.

One customer based in west Co Dublin said his account was debited twice for the same transaction. He said that a €60 transaction carried out using his Laser card on Friday was debited from his account on Saturday and again on Monday.

The customer said that, as of yesterday evening, his account had not been credited with the extra €60 charged to his account.