Hundreds of people cashed in after an ATM machine began paying out double - and a bank said they can keep the unexpected windfall. Some customers walked away thousands of pounds better off after news of the cash bonanza rapidly spread.

Long queues quickly formed as residents in the affluent village of Milford-on-Sea, near Lymington, Hampshire, rushed to take money out.

After around 200 residents withdrew money over a two-hour period, police arrived at the ATM to close it off. Police even took to Twitter to inform people the cash glitch was over.

Theytweeted: 'If you get a call that the ATM at HSBC in Milford-on-Sea is dishing out too much money - we are there already - Sorry folks!

'If you have knowingly received too much money from an ATM, the banks will chase you as this may be classed as fraud.'

But HSBC said they would not be asking any customers to return the money as the mistake was theirs. A spokesman for the bank said it was not the customers' fault.

He said: 'The machine was mis-dispensing and we won't be requesting the funds back. It is certainly not the liability of the customers.'

Meanwhile, one villager, who asked not to be named, said: 'Some people used five or six bank cards and got £300 free with each card.

【新闻快讯】 近日，英国一台ATM机发生故障，在顾客取款时会吐出双倍数额的现金，此消息不胫而走之后，很多人赶来提款。银行方面称他们可以不用归还多余的钱。

事件发生在英国汉普郡利明顿附近的富裕小镇Milford-on-Sea，汇丰银行在当地的一台ATM机发生故障，吐出双倍现金，闻讯赶来的人在ATM机前排起了长队，有的人甚至取走了数千英镑，在故障时间里共有200名顾客取走现金。故障时间持续了两个多小时，随后警方赶到现场，关闭了这台ATM机。

同时警方表示如果顾客在取现时已经发现ATM机发生故障并且继续取钱的话，那么银行方面可能会以欺诈罪追究顾客责任。但汇丰银行表示，他们不会追讨多支付的钱，因为出错的是银行，顾客不必为此负责。一位不愿透露姓名的顾客告诉记者：“有些人用五六张银行卡取钱。”