A GLASGOW man was left aghast when he found a "ludicrous" government overpayment taken off his wages — from 22 years ago.
Bernie McCann said when he opened his latest payslip he found a mysterious deduction of £44.75 under the description of 'normal rate direct earnings' attachment.
He said when he inquired with the payroll department of his employer, it led him to a conversation with an advisor from the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP).
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The advisor then informed him it was from an overpayment taken from his giro — his then unemployment benefit — from the dates of October 10 to October 20, 1994.
Bernie said: "I had no idea what it was at first. Then when I found out I was astounded."
The 43-year-old said he would have been 21 at the time and was unemployed for around three months, moving between jobs as a catering steward to work in retail.
Now working as a team leader for an organisation that works with people with learning disabilities, he said he would still cough up the fine.
He said: "They said I could contest it, but I said no, I'm happy to pay. I've spent my life working and I've built up a career for myself, so I can afford it."
He said his partner, Victoria, who he lives with in Pollokshaws, also saw the funny side and shared the story around her work.
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Bernie added: "At a time when we are being pushed to look down the back of our sofas to pay for the up and coming price of Marmite. We are not alone."
"In the DWP office they must have really big sofas."
A spokeswoman for the DWP said: "We have a responsibility to the taxpayer to recover overpayments in benefits, even where these date back a number of years.
"If people think they have been overpaid they should contact us immediately."
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