It is appalling that tens of thousands of employees of Morrisons have had their personal data, including bank account numbers, salary details, and home addresses, published online.

The apparent theft of the data which led to this information appearing on the internet is now being investigated by police but it will be a huge source of embarrassment to the Bradford-based supermarket chain.

The issue came to light only when someone describing themselves as ‘a concerned Morrison’s shopper’ copied the document onto a disk and sent it to this newspaper by post.

We contacted Morrisons immediately and chairman Sir Ian Gibson has praised the responsible way we have handled the matter.

What is not clear at the moment is how long the information was available online and how many people may have seen it. With the growing incidence of cyber-crime, those whose details have been published will naturally fear that their data is at risk of being misused and their personal accounts hacked into.

In fairness, the company has notified staff affected and apologised for what has happened and they have also promised that no-one will be left out of pocket as a result of this data leak.

Hopefully, those affected will have to deal with no more than the inconvenience of having to make sure their details are changed and it is to be hoped that their details have not already been captured and used by online criminals.

This incident obviously highlights the dangers that can result from the huge amount of data now being stored about people online – and the importance of those who are responsible for it ensuring they safeguard it properly.

It should also serve as a reminder to everyone – from huge companies to individuals – of the importance of ensuring they always protect any personal data online rigorously and comprehensively.