Rip Off Britain presenter Gloria Hunniford said she has lost all faith in banks after fraudsters were able to steal £120,000 from her account at a Croydon branch of Santander.

The broadcaster had her savings drained by a conwoman posing as her using a fake driving licence on June 3 last year.

Ahead of a new live episode of the BBC show, the 76-year-old urged banks to do more to protect their customers' money.

Hunniford said: "It turned out complete strangers could get their hands on my money easier than I can.

"I have to admit that since this whole thing happened, personally I have lost all faith in banks, and my big question is, are they really doing enough to keep every customer's money safe?

"Now, not in a million years would I expect everybody to know who I am or what I look like, and I totally get it that you don't have to dress up to look like somebody in order to impersonate them.

"But I would expect that the banks would carry out stringent security checks before they literally handed over tens of thousands of pounds to a stranger."

The 76-year-old Loose Women panellist's bank account was emptied days after the imposter arrived at a Santander branch in North End with people she claimed were her daughter and grandson. 

A bank employee said the fraudster told her she had "a few bob" in the account and wanted to add the teenager as a signatory because she had been ill.

She then helped them complete the paperwork, including by photocopying their driving licences.

Santander said it was striving to make improvements to stop similar offences taking place.

Police are still hunting the Hunniford imposter, described as a "look-not-very-much-alike," and her fake daughter.

Alan Dowie, 18, of Oxted, was given suspended 18-month jail term at the Old Bailey in August after admitting posing as the presenter's grandson.

Rip Off Britain, which features the stories of people who have lost thousands of pounds in similar cons, was broadcast this morning.