And on that £500 bombshell... (From Witney Gazette)

And on that £500 bombshell...

8:12am Tuesday 8th January 2008 in Witney

TV PRESENTER Jeremy Clarkson has admitted he was wrong to brand the scandal of lost CDs containing the personal data of millions of Britons as a "storm in a teacup" - after falling victim to bank fraud himself.

The BBC Top Gear presenter, who lives near Chipping Norton, printed his own bank details in a newspaper to prove the spectre of identity theft was a sham. He also told readers how to find his address on the electoral roll.

Now, in a rare moment of humility, Clarkson has revealed he has lost at least £500 - after an unidentified reader copied his details to set up a direct debit from his account to the British Diabetic Association.

The charity is one of many organisations which does not need a signature to set up a direct debit.

Clarkson, 47, wrote in his column in The Sunday Times: "To hammer the point home I even printed my own bank account number and sort code. And guess what? I opened my bank statement this morning to find out that someone has set up a direct debit which automatically takes £500 from my account.

"The bank cannot find out who did this because of the Data Protection Act and they cannot stop it from happening again. I was wrong and I have been punished for my mistake."