Jobless man paid £30,000 in error

A council in Norfolk has apologised today after mistakenly paying nearly £30,000 into a former employees' bank account by mistake.

Unemployed Gary Stafford, 47, of Swaffham, Norfolk, noticed the sum when he checked his balance.

He briefly worked as a caretaker for Breckland District Council and reported the error to the authority.

"The council has written to Mr Stafford asking him to accept our sincerest apologies," a spokesman said.

"The money had been intended for a housing association and the council offered Mr Stafford assistance in recovering the erroneous payment," she added.