This is not just a court battle..this is an M&S court battle

Customers whose personal details have been stolen to demand compensation from high street giant

- JENNIFER HYLAND

M&S is bracing itself for a multi-million-pound court action by customers in Scotland whose personal data has been stolen in a catastrophic cyber attack.

The high street giant last week admitted that hackers had obtained information that could include the phone numbers, home addresses, dates of birth and online ordering histories of millions of people.

Industry experts have estimated the total bill for compensation claims across the UK could top £100million.

The Sunday Mail can reveal that Thompsons Solicitors will this week launch a class action suit which could result in huge compensation payouts.

Senior partner Patrick McGuire said the firm has left customers vulnerable to criminal scams by failing to protect customers' data, which it is required to do by law.

He said: "M&S prides itself on its customer service and reliability but in this most important area it has failed its customers completely.

"We have a situation here where one of the most famous retailers in the UK has allowed criminals to pillage the personal details of hundreds of thousands of Scottish customers.

"We have been inundated by Scots M&S clients caught up in this online heist and are contacting Thompsons given our experience in this area.

"I think this will be the biggest data theft case we have ever been involved in.

"Group litigation, also known as class actions, means that the public can hold Marks & Spencer to account for the theft of their details.

"It's legal action of this kind that gives consumers redress and shows retailers that they cannot skimp on cyber security." More than £1.2billion has been wiped off the market value of M&S since it was crippled by hackers three weeks ago.