Barclays tells customers to contact friends and family or foodbanks after IT glitch

Barclays has advised customers to question assistance from friends and household oregon adjacent interaction nutrient banks aft a large IT glitch near immoderate locked retired of their accounts.

Hundreds of radical reportedly assertion they are experiencing interrupted services and missing funds aft the contented struck connected what was payday for galore British workers and the deadline for self-assessment taxation returns.

The slope has apologised to those affected, saying the institution is facing ongoing method issues, and promised nary 1 would beryllium near retired of pocket.

But its handling of complaints has provoked an aggravated absorption online.

Customers person posted connected X that they were incapable to bargain buying for themselves and their young children, wage their bills oregon retreat cash.

But the slope insists its ATMs are unaffected.

In a caller connection aft complaints online, Barclays said: "We are proactively contacting susceptible customers to connection dedicated assistance and support. Their calls are being prioritised connected our telephony lines meaning their calls get answered first.

"Our ATMs are unaffected by this method contented truthful customers tin retreat currency and usage their cards to marque payments."

Bank's effect criticised arsenic 'triggering'

On societal media tract X, successful effect to 1 idiosyncratic who said her household "has nary entree to money", the Barclays UK Help relationship asked: "Are determination immoderate friends oregon household who tin connection support?"

When she said she didn't and criticised the reply arsenic "so triggering", the bank's X relationship posted links to the Trussell Trust, a foundation that runs nutrient banks, and Citizens Advice, which offers assistance for a scope of problems.

Further afield, David Marsh and his caller wife, from Cumbria, told Sky News they had been locked retired of their relationship portion on their honeymoon successful Australia.

And Karen Bannister, 52, from Wakefield, West Yorkshire, said she had transferred each her wealth into her Barclays relationship to wage her bills but the funds ne'er arrived.

"My paper got declined astatine the supermarket which was wholly embarrassing and by 9pm I was without heating due to the fact that my state had tally out," she said.

'My four-month-old is retired of beverage powder'

One parent said she was incapable to bargain beverage for her babe owed to the glitch.

"My four-month-old is retired of beverage pulverization and screaming for a provender and I inactive haven't been paid," she said successful a station connected X.

"I've been successful tears for hours."

Another lawsuit said: "Due to you Barclays I'm near without wealth had a nutrient store owed for transportation this greeting which present volition get cancelled, permission my 4 kids with nary nutrient it's a gag arsenic [it is] my money."

One asked: "How tin I devour and support lukewarm if I can't get to my funds?"

And different said: "Well I've conscionable had to enactment each my buying backmost successful Tesco - ne'er been truthful embarrassed successful my life… arsenic can't entree my ain money."

Read much from Sky News:
What it's truly similar to unrecorded connected a canal boat
Should we beryllium disquieted astir our drinking water?

'We're incredibly sorry'

Barclays has been posting apologetic responses to the complaints.

A spokesperson for the slope said earlier: "We're incredibly atrocious for the ongoing method issues that are impacting our customers' accounts.

"Some whitethorn spot an outdated balance, and payments made oregon received whitethorn not show.

"We're moving hard to hole this issue, and customers should not effort to marque the outgo again.

"Customers tin usage their cards and retreat cash, and arsenic soon arsenic these remaining issues are resolved, we'll fto our customers know. We volition guarantee that nary impacted lawsuit is near retired of pocket."

In a statement, HMRC said it is "working closely" with Barclays to minimise immoderate interaction connected those submitting their self-assessments.

An HMRC spokesperson said: "Our services are moving arsenic normal, truthful customers volition inactive person been capable to record their returns connected time.

"Also, the issues volition not effect successful precocious outgo penalties arsenic they don't use until 1 March."