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Number error nightmare for disabled dad

Jonathon Dillon
5/ 5/2005

A DISABLED man from Huncoat was swamped with annoying phone calls after his telephone number was mistakenly given out as a council helpline.

Derek Ramsbottom's phone went into meltdown after his number appeared on the council's Central and Spring Hill Area Council letter-headed paper, on agendas and in the press.

The blunder happened as his number is one digit different to the switchboard number - 388111 - at Hyndburn Council's headquarters at Scaitcliffe House in Accrington.

Dad Derek, 54, said: "I have received all sorts of calls from people asking for the council. It was a nuisance as I would be expecting a call and it would turn out to be someone wanting to speak to the council.

"To be fair, people were fine when I told them they had the wrong number.

"I just think the council needs to rectify its mistake."

He added that his number also appeared at the end of a story in a local newspaper - not the Observer - as a helpline for Asian families wanting more refuse bins.

Derek, of Fir Court, fumed: "I just felt like a call centre operator. My daughter Laura phoned the council to complain but the calls kept on coming.

"They have stopped now but it should never have happened in the first place."

The former aerospace engineer in Barnoldswick, who has now signed off work due to his disability, says that at least he only received calls during the daytime and was not disturbed at night.

A spokesman from Hyndburn Council's Area Council team said: "It was an administration error over one digit and it has been corrected now. We would like to apologise to Mr Ramsbottom for any inconvenience."