Protestors lobby FSA over Lehman losses

They released balloons on The North Colonnade outside the offices of the Financial Services Authority, the Wharf-based regulator tasked with looking into the complaints.

Greenwich resident Maureen Corcoran, who has been forced to come out of retirement due to her losses, said: "This is to speed up the investigation and let people know we are very unhappy.

"These funds were advertised as completely secure. Now all these people have lost thousands. I've lost £50,000.

"The anxiety and the not knowing is really hard. That money was for my children's future. It was from over 30 years of work. To see all that go is devastating."

Founder of the Spirit organisation Peter Howard said there were 5,120 people affected with a combined deficit of about £100million. They claim they were mis-sold "100 per cent secure" investments backed by Lehman Brothers.

In May the FSA said it would look into the effect on individual investors from the Lehman Brothers collapse and last Friday the regulator announced it would "be taking actions against firms as a result of its findings", with more details due next month.

After the protest on Tuesday morning, Mr Howard was invited into the FSA's office, along with MP Edward Vaizey who is supporting the group, to discuss the case.

- Barclays Capital and the trustees of Lehman Brothers are squaring up for a £5billion fight over assets sold off as part of the American banks bankruptcy last year.

Barcap bought Lehman's brokerage business for $1.75billion but Lehman Brothers

Holdings have lodged a claim in the US courts that Barcap gained control of assets, worth around $8.2billion, or £5billion, that were not supposed to be included in the sale.