HUNDREDS of victims of the Post Office IT scandal face an agonising wait to get their compensation payouts.

       Today the chairman of the public inquiry into Horizon failures warned next year’s legal deadline for payments was likely to be missed.

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       The chairman of the public inquiry into the failures of Horizon IT warned the legal deadline for payouts to victims of the Post Office scandal was likely to be missed Credit: Getty

       Between 1999 and 2015, thousands of sub-postmasters were wrongly accused of fraud and theft due to serious glitches in an online accounting system.

       Hundreds were prosecuted and many jailed.

       Around ￡100million has been paid out so far by the Post Office and government to more than 2,000 hit by the scandal.

       But？？？more than 500 are still owed compensation.

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       Sir Wyn Williams, who led the inquiry, said today his “strongly held view” is the scheme administrators will be “unable to deliver compensation payments to all applicants” by the deadline of August 2024.

       He wants an extension and said: “What ？？has emerged is a patchwork quilt of compensation schemes.

       “And, unfortunately, it is a patchwork quilt with some holes in it.”

       Alan Bates, the man who led a group of more than 500 former subpostmasters to expose the Post Office Horizon IT scandal, called for quick action.

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       He said: “The Post Office has failed full disclosure to the courts, it has failed disclosure with the inquiry, and worst of all it’s now failed the victims who continue to suffer and are desperately waiting to get on with their lives.

       “Who is to blame for letting this go on without end?

       “It has to be the fault of Government, the sole shareholder of Post Office.

       “So, instead of handing out huge bonuses at Post Office, try handing out P45s, I bet that works.”