TRAIN operator One has apologised for its mistake after paying thousands of pounds into East Anglian commuters' bank accounts.Members of the company's Commuter Club saw the money they normally pay out each month for rail travel actually paid to them instead.

TRAIN operator One has apologised for its mistake after paying thousands of pounds into East Anglian commuters' bank accounts.

Members of the company's Commuter Club saw the money they normally pay out each month for rail travel actually paid to them instead.

The club's 1,200 members pay a monthly fee by direct debit but had a pleasant surprise when they checked their account balances this month.

One has now realised its error and retrieved the mistaken payments - the bill for which could have stretched to hundreds of thousands of pounds - plus the monthly travel charges.

The mistake was greeted with frustration by Commuter Club members. One commuter from Ipswich told the EADT: “This payment farce doesn't surprise me in the slightest. I am thoroughly fed up with this inept organisation.

“I travel to and from London on a daily basis and I'm delayed at least one journey per day. The service they provide is shambolic.”

A spokesman for One said: “It was a mistake - simple as that. It has now been rectified and the correct payment has been taken out.

“Commuter Club members pay monthly by direct debit and, instead of taking the money out this month, the finance team paid it in.

“That payment has now been reversed and we would like to apologise if it has caused any inconvenience.”

The One Anglia Commuter Club is designed for rail users travelling on a daily basis.

It gives members a monthly pass for unlimited journeys on Intercity services between their “home” station and London's Liverpool Street station.

Membership is designed to provide an “affordable and convenient” alternative to monthly season tickets. An open ticket between Ipswich station and Liverpool Street costs £350 a month.

Commuters join the club for a minimum of three months and money is taken out of their accounts on the 15th day of each month.