Mother lands a £135,000 windfall in bank blunder...and blows it in weeks

But when she went to take out the money, she was astonished to find rather more funds were available - an extra £135,000 to be precise.

Over the next few weeks the 20-year-old lived like a lottery winner, blowing almost all of the money the bank had put in her account in error.

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She booked a £10,000 holiday to Florida, bought thousands of pounds worth of luxury goods, took out nearly £5,000 in cash and allegedly gave away almost £100,000.

The money enabled her to fill her housing association home with top-of-the-range electrical items and furniture including a 50-inch plasma television, luxury carpet and fridge-freezer.

It took the bank two weeks to realise its mistake but Lee is now facing a possible prison sentence. In court on Monday she admitted taking money she knew was not hers.

Yesterday the jobless and single mother-of-one recounted her sudden rise to wealth.

'When I realised how much money was in my account I felt nervous, numb, sick,' she said. 'All it said on the statement was "account adjustment" and I didn't touch the money for a day.

'The day after the money had gone into my account, I went in to the bank and drew out £500. They should have realised then that it was their money.

'I asked them what "account adjustment" meant but they couldn't tell me. They just asked me if I wanted to open a savings account with the money.'

Lee's spree began last November following a banking error at a branch of Abbey in Blackburn, the town's magistrates court was told.

Over the following fortnight, Lee helped herself to £33,000, spending much of it at sex shop chains, Simply Pleasure and Ann Summers.

Lee took a further £3,466 from cash machines as well as making three over-the- counter withdrawals of £500.

She is also accused of arranging banker's drafts for £40,000 for two people and writing a cheque for £17,000 to a third.

There was also the luxury holiday to Disney World for herself, her baby daughter Amy-Jane, eight months, and other relatives. But before she could go on the trip, bank staff froze her account, making her realise the game was up.

'I walked into the bank and held my hands up and waited for the coppers,' said Lee. 'I was arrested and searched in the middle of Abbey. I felt totally humiliated.'

Police seized from her Blackburn home an array of goods, many of which had not even been unwrapped because they had arrived the day before.

Lee pleaded guilty to retaining wrongful credit and 11 specimen charges of theft.

She was bailed for sentencing by a Crown Court at a later date. The judge is likely to consider an order for her to repay any money that Abbey has not already recovered.

Lee appeared in court with her sister-Amanda Moorcroft. The 24-year-old faces seven charges of theft but did not enter a plea. David Moorcroft, 42, who is thought to be her husband, made no plea to a charge of handling £40,000 stolen from Abbey.

Winston Moorcroft, 38, indicated a not guilty plea to handling £40,000 stolen from Abbey while Mark Utley, 26, made no plea to theft of £17,000 from the bank.

The defendants, all from Blackburn, were told their case would also be dealt with by a Crown Court.

All the charges carry a maximum sentence of ten years in prison.