CHLOE WHELDRICK has received her first credit card offer - even though she is only TWO years old.

Mum Dawn Wheldrick was amazed when she looked through a pile of junk mail and found the credit card application for her little girl.

Chloe had been invited by American Express to apply for a Gold Credit Card.

The unsolicited letter offered the youngster the chance to run up bills of thousands of pounds by filling in a simple "60 Second Application Form".

Selby Council chiefs revealed today that Chloe was also on the electoral register - despite being 16 years too young to vote.

"It really makes you wonder what this world is coming to," said Mrs Wheldrick.

"We wonder why people are in so much debt, but then the credit card companies send applications to literally anyone, clearly not looking whether they are eligible to qualify for one or not."

The short application form asks only for telephone numbers, date of birth, income and a work address.

"It would have been the easiest thing for someone to have got hold of this letter and applied for a credit card in my daughter's name, running up a bill which would have come to our address," said Mrs Wheldrick, of Elmete Avenue, Sherburn-in-Elmet.

"How could the credit card company explain having to chase a two-year-old for payment for using one of their cards? It is really unbelievable."

The Gold Card has no pre-set spending limit if the account is paid in full each month, leaving the card holder free to spend any amount they choose, if they have shown to the company they can afford it.

A spokeswoman for American Express said it was possible that an electoral registration form had been wrongly filled out to include Chloe's details, which would mean she was on the electoral register - and the mailing list bought by the company.

"The form should not have children's details on it, but if the parents have filled out the names of all people living at the address and included her by accident that could explain the mix-up," she said.

"We use the electoral register as it should only have the names of people who are over 18 and eligible for our products."

She said the company had now put a block on sending any more information to Chloe, and would pass on the information to the mailing list company to prevent further problems.

Richard Besley, Selby District Council elections officer, said: "The resident's name was entered on the electoral roll, following the supply of incorrect information to Selby District Council. We have erased the name from the list."

Mrs Wheldrick said she could not remember entering Chloe's details on the electoral registration form.

Updated: 10:14 Thursday, April 29, 2004