A PENSIONER is urging Ofcom to fine a phone company to make it improve its service.

Brian Crews signed up with Talk Talk through the Carphone Warehouse last summer because of its free broadband offer but has had numerous problems since then.

News Shopper reported his story last year, when he staged a lie-in at the Carphone Warehouse store in Beckenham High Street.

He is now swapping back to BT after less than a year because of the hassle.

Mr Crews says the broadband service did not work properly on his computer when it was installed and his phone line went dead on several occasions during November, December and this month.

He thinks Talk Talk could not cope with the demand for its offer and so was unable to offer the help he needed to sort out problems.

The grandfather-of-six believes Ofcom should make sure companies have the necessary back-up service to meet demands if it is going to offer attractive prices.

He also thinks the communications regulator should not let companies expand their service until they can guarantee enough landlines are available.

Mr Crews, 71, of Dellfield Close, Beckenham, said: "My wife and I have been married nearly 50 years. We have had more trouble with the phone in the past six months than in the other 49 years.

"You cannot tell a company to not take any more customers but I think something needs to be done.

"I saw the Nationwide building society got fined (for a security lapse) and maybe if Talk Talk was fined, it would make it sort its services out."

Talk Talk were not available to comment at the time of going to press.