A bailiff group that accidentally released hundreds of email addresses to the recipients of a debt-chasing message, have apologised.

The Marston Group s enforcement recovery section sent the message about overdue loan repayments, but attached was a list of over 600 e-mail addresses.

A spokeswoman for the Information Commissioner has admitted that the subject of the email was sensitive, and as such the messages sent were a potential Data Protection Act breach. Though she added that as far as she was aware, there had not been any complaints as yet.

The Westminster based Marston Group is one of the biggest bailiff and court enforcement groups in the UK, whose contract includes collecting unpaid parking fees among other debts.

The email in question was sent at the end of last week to a group of people, chasing repayment to a payday loan company. It warns that a bailiff would be sent to the home of the recipients about their outstanding debt.

The email was sent to over 600 people, and all their email addresses can be viewed to the “To” box of the email by each and every recipient.

The Information Commissioner’s Office said that if a mass email was sent out, all email addresses should have been put in the blind “Cc” box so that they were hidden from all other recipients of the email.

A spokeswoman said: “They have got to be respectful to the sensitivity of the issue.”

A Spokeswoman for the Marston Group has said that the addresses were accidentally released in a test of the email system: “We are currently contacting everyone whose email address was disclosed to apologise and inform them that immediate steps are being taken to prevent any reoccurrence.”

She also said that the incident was being treated very seriously, and that an investigation is taking place in order to stop anything like this occurring in the future.

The company has, for legal reasons, refused to explain who was on the list of names, or why they were sent the email in the first place.

Consumer Action Group (CAG)employee, Marc Gander, said that some of the people on the list were a group of people being chased for unpaid debts, and therefore it was highly embarrassing that their names had been released and circulated.

He said: “The stories of the careless handling of personal data are now a regular occurrence.
“This irresponsible disclosure of personal information by the Marston Group is just another example.”