SEMBCORP Bournemouth Water have apologised after charging direct debit customers a day early.

Mike Lucas, a Northbourne resident, said that he noticed that his bank account had less money than expected in it and noticed the charge had been made on March 31, instead of April 1.

He said: "I even had the annual statement a couple of weeks ago confirming that the money would be taken on the first of each month.

"I think that they should have warned people that they were going to charge them early.

"When I rang up, they admitted that it was a widespread issue, beyond just me, and said that they had tried to stop it from happening, but couldn't in time.

"Presumably anyone paying by direct debit will have been charged early and for some it may lead to bank charges if they are overdrawn."

A spokesperson for Sembcorp Bournemouth Water said: "I can confirm that due to an error on our part, we made claims for Direct Debit payments on 31 March, that should have been made on 1 April, which is effectively a day early.

"We are very sorry for any inconvenience this has caused to some of our customers and will meet any bank charges arising in respect of claims returned due to insufficient funds to meet our early claim."

Anyone who has been affected can contact Sembcorp Bournemouth Water on 01202 590059.