A STUDENT has hit out at her bank after she was charged £38 for going overdrawn for only 24 hours.

NatWest agreed to refund the money after being contacted by The Northern Echo.

However, 17-year-old Eleanor Layton, of Alverton Drive, Darlington, believes she should never been charged in the first place.

The problem occurred at the end of last month when her phone company tried to take a direct debit the day before her wages had been paid in.

Eleanor, who works at River Island, in Darlington, and is studying fashion at Cleveland College of Art and Design, admitted she had made a mistake, but she said: “The charge was far too much for what happened.

“I only get £70 a month wages and this was more than half. I could understand if they took £5 or £10 – but £38 was too much.”

When she spotted the charge, the teenager contacted NatWest – only to be told they could not discuss the matter because she was under 18.

She then visited the Darlington branch where she was told there was nothing staff could do.

The charge was only refunded after the bank was contacted by The Northern Echo.

The teenager said: “It should never have gone that far.”

A NatWest spokesman said: “This matter has been fully investigated.

“We have spoken to the customer and the matter has been resolved to their satisfaction.”