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The information included historical data related to credit card applications and data from other banks, according to RBS, who would not disclose further details.

Names, addresses, mobile phone numbers, bank account numbers, sort codes, credit card numbers, mothers' maiden names and even signatures had been left on the hard drive, according to the Daily Mail newspaper.

Archiving firm Graphic Data had been

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responsible for holding the details. The company copies paperwork from some of the biggest financial organisations and stores it digitally. The computer was sold on by one of its former employees, without removing the information. The buyer, an IT manager, later discovered the information on the hard disk.

"Graphic Data has confirmed to us that one of their machines appears to have been inappropriately sold on via a third party," said RBS in a statement.

"As a result, historical data relating to credit card applications from some of our customers and data from other banks were not removed."

Graphic Data blamed the error on its former employee.

"The IT equipment that appeared on eBay was neither planned nor instructed by the company to be disposed," said the company.

"Investigations are ongoing to find out how this equipment was removed from a secure location."

RBS said it was working to resolve "this regrettable loss with Graphic Data as a matter of urgency".