Google has admitted that a few users' Google Mail accounts were mistakenly deleted, but the search giant claims it is not responsible.

"We have seen a few cases where users report that their accounts have been deleted, and in each case our investigations have revealed that the accounts were deleted by someone with that account's password. In these cases, we're unfortunately unable to restore accounts," a Google spokeswoman told ZDNet UK on Tuesday.

Google Mail service is known as Gmail in much of the world, but not in the UK as Google ceded the right to that name here after a legal fight. Despite being launched almost exactly two years ago it is still in beta.

To delete an account, users must follow the steps detailed on Google's Web site and must re-enter their account password to confirm the operation.

ZDNet UK asked Google what steps it is taking to ensure that other users cannot hack into an account and delete it. The company replied on Thursday that users should follow its tips on password safety.

But Google Mail user Ali Al Saeed, who has been unable to access his account for over two weeks and fears it has been deleted, said on Thursday he believes Google should send a verification email to an alternative email account before deleting a Google Mail account.

Full story: ZDNet UK