CALL HORSE SUNDAY

Bank seeks takeover as savers push it to brink

An attempt to organise a takeover of Northern Rock was underway last night as regulators, government and bank officials sought to rescue Britain’s fifth largest mortgage lender before the panic among its customers leaves it beyond salvage.

The crisis-hit lender, which was thrown a lifeline by the Bank of England last week, was braced for a further stampede this morning by nervous savers desperate to withdraw their money in the worst run on a British bank for decades.