Norfolk's flagship RSPCA centre has lost credit and debit card transactions worth thousands of pounds after it became the victim of a software glitch.

Norfolk's flagship RSPCA centre has lost credit and debit card transactions worth thousands of pounds after it fell victim to a software glitch.

Bosses of the Paws centre in Norwich have written to everyone who paid there with a card over the past few months, including those who adopted cats and kittens for a fee of up to £60 and dogs for a fee of up to £100.

The amount that failed to process properly because of the glitch, which has now been corrected, is about £6,000 and includes transactions made in the shop and for other services, including veterinary care.

Letters sent to people whose transactions might not have gone through request them to check their bank statements. If the amount has not been debited they are asked to forward a cheque to the centre to cover it.

The letters were sent a few weeks ago and already the charity has recovered about a third of the money it lost.

Centre spokesman Richard Musgrave said: "We want to apologise for any inconvenience caused.

"We do not want to hassle people, but just ask that they check their bank statements to see if the money has gone through and if not to help us reclaim it.

"We want to give our thanks to all those people who have already helped us to recover money."

The centre on Barrack Street is the second highest re-homer of cats in the East of England and is self-financing. It re-homes and provides care for cats and dogs, with a cattery licensed for 38 animals and spaces for 10 dogs at private kennel outside the city.

Ü Anyone who has not had their card transaction processed can send a cheque made payable to RSPCA for the missing amount to: Paws Centre, 71-75 Barrack Street, Norwich, NR3 1WJ. Any donations can be sent that way.