Incredible SBC data breach resident claims A Selkirk man has described his shock at receiving confidential documents from Scottish Borders Council belonging to another Borderer . The resident , who wished to remain anonymous , submitted a request to the council for information they held on him under the Data Protection Act . After repeated requests , as the council had told him they held no information on him , the man eventually received an envelope containing the information he requested . However , inside was also copies of correspondence between another Borderer and the council on an insurance matter . This included the other persons name , address , signature , the man told the Wee Paper this week . I have always thought that my data was not secure with the council , he said . The man added that it was ironic that the documents he received in error included claims that the council had lost correspondence . I find it incredible that they have given me such information about someone else . If it happened to me I would be extremely angry . After contacting the council to point out the error , the man was asked to return the documentation , at his own cost , which he refused . He told us that the Information Commissioners Office ( ICO ) had told him that he was not obliged to return the documentation , and recommended that he retain it for evidence if he intended to make a formal complaint to the ICO . The man said he planned to submit a complaint and then incinerate the documents . I have no intention of getting up to menace or mischief with it , but I just wonder what could have happened if this information had got into the wrong hands . An SBC spokesperson told The Wee Paper : We are aware of this issue and are currently following our own internal procedures . They added that a decision has not yet been made about self - referring the incident to the ICO . In February , SBC launched a campaign to raise awareness of the importance of looking after information . The Think Information campaign aims to improve and strengthen the safeguards SBC has around the information it collects , holds and uses . ;