Pair in £1m Northern Rock sit-in

Christopher and Fiona Howard left the branch when police were called

A Cheltenham couple who demanded the return of £1m from their Northern Rock branch left empty-handed.

Former hoteliers Fiona and Christopher Howard only left the branch in Cheltenham when staff called police.

They were told the cash could not be accessed immediately at the branch as it was in an online account.

The couple said the speculation about the bank had made them concerned about the money, which they needed for a holiday home sale.

Fiona, 48, said: "After repeated failed attempts to contact the bank we decided to go in in person.

That money is our lifeline as we are living in rented accommodation Fiona Howard

"But at the bank we were told that because our money was in an online account we wouldn't be able to withdraw it there and then.

"That money is our lifeline as we are living in rented accommodation at present so that was not what we wanted to hear.

"We told the staff that we just wouldn't leave and we prepared to mount a sit-in.

"Then staff told us they were going to call the police to get us out."

Officers from Gloucestershire Police were called to the branch in Cheltenham town centre on Friday and the couple were persuaded to leave the branch.

A spokeswoman for Gloucestershire police confirmed the officers had been called to the branch to resolve the situation.

No-one from Northern Rock was available for comment.

Customers have been queueing to take out their savings from Northern Rock branches all over the country after news that the bank has been struggling since money markets seized up over the summer.

The bank is not short of assets, but they are tied up in loans to home owners.

Because of the global credit crunch Northern Rock has found it difficult to borrow the cash to run its day-to-day operations.