WH SMITH customers are angry after personal credit card details of their transactions were left dumped in a Winchester skip for several days.

Police and data experts have warned that the effects could have been disastrous if they had fallen into the wrong hands.

A spokesman for the High Street giant apologised this week, assuring customers that the receipts were from 2003, and its till systems had since been changed.

But one of them, Paul Stevens, from Badger Farm, one of the customers who spotted the dumped receipts, said he was astonished to find an entire bag full of receipts in the skip in Parchment Street.

Mr Stevens said they showed full 16-digit credit card numbers, expiry dates and signatures.

The 33-year-old said: "I was walking past quite slowly and they were just sat on the top.

"I had to stop and do a double take -- I just couldn't believe my eyes."

He took the bag into the shop and alerted staff, who telephoned an area manager. Mr Stevens called WH Smith's head office himself to tell them he had the bag full of the slips, and said that they did not ask for them back.

The father-of-one added: "I could do anything with them.

"I've no intention, but if I wanted to I could spend thousands of pounds on the internet with these details and I could sell people's identities for a lot of money."

Another customer, Andy Dobson, from Kings Worthy, said he was shocked, and although most of the card numbers had expired, some were still valid.

He said: "I was stunned, I couldn't believe it, especially at a time when everyone's being told not to give their credit card details.

"I certainly won't shop in there again and I would question whether I would shop at any High Street name now."

Sarah Hodson, a spokesman for WH Smith, said: "We are of course very sorry that this situation has occurred and are doing everything we can to rectify it.

"We can confirm that all the receipts in question are from 2003 or prior years, and we have now recovered the vast majority, which have been disposed of in a secure manner.

"This is an isolated incident in which our normal procedure has not been followed, therefore we have begun an investigation.

"We have also reinforced our correct policy with all of our stores. Since 2004 we have changed our till systems so that such information is now held electronically, eliminating any possibility of this happening."

Now WH Smith could face prosecution from the Information Commissioner for the breach of customer confidentiality.

It may even have to write to thousands of customers telling them that their finacial details have been compromised.

Det Con Dan Hope, of Winchester CID, said: "ID fraud is an issue that affects us all and we all have to take responsibility to protect our own date.

"Big corporate companies also have a duty of care to their customers. It's paradise for some criminals."