Father-of-two Paul Isaac (28), of Kings Road, is reclaiming charges on two accounts with The Woolwich (now part of Barclays).

Mr Isaac wrote to his bank in April asking for a list of all charges incurred on his joint account and his girlfriend Emma's account going back six years under the Data Protection Act.

His statements showed he'd been charged £35 for a single unpaid direct debit, with separate charges for an unauthorised overdraft.

Mr Isaac, who is currently out of work, said charges amounted to about £650 on his joint account and about £2,200 on the other. Neither account had a permitted overdraft.

He said: "I wrote back asking the bank to refund the money on both accounts. It refused to pay any charges back on the £650 account saying it thought they were justified but we were offered £1,700 on the other."

Mr Isaac is determined to take his case to the small claims court. He added: "My view is it's fair for the bank to charge but proportionately. But for the bank to send a letter out and press a few buttons doesn't cost £35."

Barclays has until Monday to submit its case. A spokes-man said: "We take all complaints seriously and look at each case on an individual basis."

Mr Isaac advised other people looking to reclaim charges to visit websites www.moneysavingexpert.com and www.consumeraction group.co.uk for more advice.