Danske Bank has moved to clarify the situation for customers whose accounts are to be closed.

The bank says 8,000 current accounts will close this weekend, 6,000 of which have not had any transactions in the past month.

ATM cards can be used this weekend to withdraw funds but as of Monday, those accounts will not be accessible unless customers contact the bank.

For customers that have current and savings accounts they will be able to access their funds until February 21st.

The bank says different account closure dates were given to different customers to allow them to cope with the volume of queries.

Customers with accounts including mortgages or custody accounts have not yet been written to, and do not need to take any action until they receive a letter from Danske Bank.

The bank says it is dealing with a high volume of queries at present but that phone lines will be open until 8pm tonight and from 9am to 4:30pm tomorrow and Sunday.

Personal Finance Editor with the Irish Independent is Charlie Weston. He says people have been caught unawares.