A dad who discovered his bank accounts were overdrawn by £1,000,000 has said the situation is taking a huge toll on his family’s life and mental health.

Darren Edwards, from Burnley, had around £3,000 in his accounts for monthly bills, general living expenses, and savings for a summer holiday, but on April 25, two of his Barclays accounts were suddenly £500,000.07 in the red.

More than two weeks later, Darren says every direct debit has bounced back and Barclays has still not shed any light on the situation.

Barclays has said it is unable to provide Darren with updates because it is complying with legal and regulatory obligations, but Darren said this state of limbo and being “left in the dark” is beginning to tear his life apart.

The dad-of-two said: “I have nothing left. I can't even afford to feed my family anymore.

"My friends and family have been helping me out, but that is also taking a toll on them as they have their own bills.

“I've had to take days off work and go home several times early from work.”

The 41-year-old was in the drive thru queue of McDonalds when his card was declined four times, which is what prompted him to check his online banking and discover his shocking balance.

The Oldham Times: Darren's transactions from Thursday, April 27Darren's transactions from Thursday, April 27 (Image: Darren Edwards)

A couple of days later, a transaction on one of Darren’s statements showed the money, which he did initially have in his account, withdrawn with the reference “TO RECONCILE.”

Answers shared on the Consumer Action Group website say this happens when Barclays freezes an account to investigate, which could be related to moving large sums of money.

However, Darren says the only large amount of cash that has been moved is holiday money from his dad’s account to his own.

He thinks either his account has been hacked or there has been some sort of transaction error.

It follows warnings from Which? some banks’ websites and apps are missing security protections, potentially leaving “open doors” for scammers.

He said: “People have reached out to me saying something like this has happened to them when they were with Barclays, but Barclays hasn’t contacted me once.”

Darren had planned on using the money in his savings account to book fights for his family holiday to Florida in July, but can’t anymore.

He said: “These flights have doubled in price so our holiday will now be ruined, and I won't be able to get any money back for the villa in America that we've paid for, and the Disney tickets.

“It’s put me in a situation where we are arguing every day as a family and it’s really starting to take a toll on me now.

"It's disgusting that I cannot access funds to even live. I can't go on living like this."

A spokesperson for Barclays said: "We are unable to share any further information."