A US judge has thrown a lifeline to investors who may have been duped in one of Wall Street’s biggest alleged frauds.

The list of investors who say they were duped in one of Wall Street's biggest pyramid schemes is growing, snaring some of the world's biggest banking institutions and hedge funds, the super rich and the famous, pensioners and charities.

Banking giant Santander’s clients had more than £2bn (€2.23bn) in disgraced Wall Street supremo Bernard Madoff’s investment funds, it emerged today.