A VALE businesswoman had a shock this week when she took some cheques to a bank in Pershore and was told there were too many.

Yvonne Walker of The Lenches, runs her own horticultural business called Hayloft Plants with friends and had called into HSBC to pay in the 791 cheques given to her this month.

The reason for the high number of cheques is that the business is largely mail-order based and it had been a particularly good month of trading on Manor Farm in Pensham, near Pershore.

The cheques totalling £10,088.05, which is around £13 a cheque, were brought into the branch to be paid in but after a couple of days Yvonne's husband Derek Jarman was called to pick the papers up because there were too many to process at the Pershore branch.

Derek said: "We were on our way to the Hampton Court Flower Show when we received the news, which came as a bit of a surprise. To have to go down to the bank and pick up the cheques that you thought had already been dealt with is a bit much.

"Normally the banks are chasing money from people, so it is ironic that this time they were turning it away."

Yvonne added: "We normally take the cheques to HSBC in Evesham, which we have ended up doing on this occasion as well. There were a few more than normal I admit but it was still a surprise to be told there were too many to process."

Neil Brazil, of HSBC Group Corporate Affairs, said: "As a commercial bank HSBC will, as a matter of course, process all cheques for its business customers. Where large sums or numerous transactions are involved, procedures are put in place at a customer's branch to facilitate these requests. On those occasions when business customers wish to use another branch, HSBC does require them to notify the branch in question or contact their relationship manager beforehand."