Rock to tempt back customer base

This news comes as reports pin the amount borrowed by the bank down to as much as £29 billion.

It looked like the bank was entering into calmer waters after borrowing only £1.1 billion from the Bank of England the week before last - a far cry from the amounts it was taking at the beginning of the crisis - however it borrowed an estimated £2.7 billion last week, putting paid to these hopes.

Vince Cable, acting leader of the Liberal Democrats called the current state of play "desperate territory," adding: "With the total now close to £30bn, the taxpayer cannot be expected to continue to dole out just vast sums of money on a weekly basis especially as much of it appears to be unsecured and may end up going down a plughole. The government must seriously look at nationalising the bank and ensuring that taxpayers' money is secured."

Nationalising the bank in this way would undoubtedly allow the government to regain control of the situation, but could prove to alienate key bidders for the ailing lender such as the Virgin Group and Luqman Arnold.

The bank is now offering savers rates of 6.24 per cent and 6.49 per cent in order to regain its competitve edge and recoup some of its lost funds, as well as customer trust.