A PENSIONER is outraged she must top up her £20 BHS birthday gift card with her own cash to be able to spend it in the Blackburn store.

Margaret Cullen had been given the voucher as a present the Friday before the firm collapsed.

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On Monday last week, BHS was taken over by administrators Duff and Phelps, who ruled gift cards could only be redeemed if the spend was doubled by the customer.

Mrs Cullen, of Frederick Street, Oswaldtwistle, went in the the BHS in Blackburn’s The Mall with her sister-in-law Brenda Callister on Wednesday to spend the card.

She was furious to be told its value had to be doubled with £20 of extra cash before the money loaded onto it just days before could be redeemed.

Mrs Cullen, 74, said: “This is stealing. It’s extortion. I just hate being ripped off and that is what they are doing. For years I have been a loyal BHS customer.”

Mrs Callister, 80, of Albany Road, in Blackburn, who had bought the gift card for her sister-in-law’s birthday present in BHS Blackburn on April 22, said: “I have shopped at BHS in Blackburn for years and regularly bought its gift cards as presents. This is theft from people who may be short of money. It’s just not right.”

Their anger has been backed by politicians and business leaders. Blackburn Chamber of Trade president Tony Duckworth sad: “It is disappointing but sadly inevitable and better than other stores in similar circumstances have offered.”

Borough LibDem leader, Cllr David Foster, said: “I think this is scandalous.”

Council Tory leader, Cllr Mike Lee, said: “The value of gift cards should be ring-fenced.”

Mall general manager Loraine Jones said: “We are sorry to hear about Mrs Cullen’s difficulties with her BHS gift card as we don’t want anyone to leave The Mall unhappy. Unfortunately we have no control over the administrators.”

A spokesman for Duff and Phelps said: “When a company goes into administration, normally gift card and vouchers become worthless.

“In this case, and as a sign of goodwill, the administrators are allowing customers to still use the vouchers as long as they only account for half of the sale value.”

Blackburn BID manager Harriet Roberts said: “It is unfortunate.

“But the administrators at least have given value to these vouchers.”